Flight Question (Southwest)

[tchrrx]

Flights for our March trip are quite a bit more expensive than usual. Southwest would be the best deal since luggage is included. We've never flown with them before. I've read on here about different categories and things that seem confusing to me. Is it an ok airline to fly?

 

[Marionnette]

Flights for our March trip are quite a bit more expensive than usual. Southwest would be the best deal since luggage is included. We've never flown with them before. I've read on here about different categories and things that seem confusing to me. Is it an ok airline to fly?

Okay in what sense? On-time record? Safety record? Customer satisfaction? Pilot experience?

They aren't particularly high on the list of business travelers because of their cattle-call boarding procedure (no assigned seats) and a lack of a true business class. However, leisure travelers tend to like them because of their fee-free baggage policy and generous terms for ticket changes.

I have flown with them many times to MCO and I actually prefer them to USAirways out of PHL.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

I love southwest. You are going to get different opinions on the boarding process/free seating policy. Personally I find Southwest is less of a "cattle call." Everybody lines up at their numbers (you get a boarding number when you check-in) and files on the plane.

Every.Single.Time I have to fly a legacy carrier there is a hoard of people, regardless of their boarding group, crowded around the podium trying to rush on at the same time. Luckily I only fly those when I'm going over seas or in a cross country flight where I want first class to be less miserable.

If you fly first class then I would avoid southwest as their "Business Select" just gets you on the plane first and a free drink.

They definitely have the best change policy of any airline. You only pay the difference in fare to change your flight. You can cancel up to 10min. Before you flight for a refund or credit (depending on which fare you bought).

I have also found the SW staff some of the most pleasant.

 

[lindsmom]

SW is our family's first choice for flying, for all the reasons mentioned above by Fairest.

We usually purchase Early Bird Check in, so we don't have to worry about checking in online the day before - that helps get an earlier boarding pass, so our family can sit together.

 

[Disneylover99]

Love SW. We've flown with them exclusively for the past three or four years. Prices are great, bags are free and it's easy to change our flights around with no fee. We always purchase EBCI.

 

[sharona]

I love southwest. You are going to get different opinions on the boarding process/free seating policy. Personally I find Southwest is less of a "cattle call." Everybody lines up at their numbers (you get a boarding number when you check-in) and files on the plane.

Every.Single.Time I have to fly a legacy carrier there is a hoard of people, regardless of their boarding group, crowded around the podium trying to rush on at the same time. Luckily I only fly those when I'm going over seas or in a cross country flight where I want first class to be less miserable.

If you fly first class then I would avoid southwest as their "Business Select" just gets you on the plane first and a free drink.

They definitely have the best change policy of any airline. You only pay the difference in fare to change your flight. You can cancel up to 10min. Before you flight for a refund or credit (depending on which fare you bought).

I have also found the SW staff some of the most pleasant.

Agree 100% - not sure why some people prefer the free for all boarding process on the other airlines, especially Delta where they board the front of the plane first. THAT takes forever! My only knock against the SW boarding process is that if I'm checking my bag and don't need overhead bin space, I prefer to wait and board as late as possible but without a reserved seat, that option does not work on SW.

SW is our family's first choice for flying, for all the reasons mentioned above by Fairest.

We usually purchase Early Bird Check in, so we don't have to worry about checking in online the day before - that helps get an earlier boarding pass, so our family can sit together.

I think the EBCI is well worth the cost especially when flying with family. When comparing prices I figure that the EBCI fee and the luggage fee from other airlines cancel each other out.

 

[bcarey2k]

We're SWA fans as well and always purchase the Early Bird Check-In as well.

 

[msmama]

I haven't flown anything but southwest in probably over a decade (unless going oversees).

When you go to the website to buy your ticket, you will see 4 categories of ticket. I've never purchased anything other than the cheapest wanna get away fare.

If you need to cancel your flight, you don't get your money refunded, but you do have up to a year to use those travel funds (a year from booking date). I think with the more expensive flights you can get your money back if you cancel. As someone else said, if you need to change your flight, you can do so with no charge (unless your new flight is more expensive).

I don't always do the early bird check in. If the flight is a convenient time and I know I'll be at a computer 24 hours beforehand to check in, I don't bother. I've been up to the last person in the B boarding group and still gotten 2 seats together (just my son and I travel together usually).

 

[tvguy]

It's a trade out. Usually Southwest is the cheapest (but not always) and no charge for luggage. The trade out is their boarding system.
Southwest makes no secret about it, the number one complaint they get is their boarding system. They did try assigned seats for a while a few years ago out of San Diego, but ended it.

Sort of like McDonalds, people love to talk smack about them, but people still go there. I live a mile from a row of fast food restaurants, and 2 Saturday's ago I decided I wanted a Double Cheeseburger. Couldn't get near McDonalds, every parking spot filled, the two line drive up had cars backed up. I ended up at Burger King a block away, not a single customer inside, and 1 car in the drive through.

 

[georgina]

I love SW and they are always my first choice. So easy to use points to book a free flight, easy to change flights with no change fees, no baggage fees. I have no complaints about the checkin/boarding, never buy EBCI but don't have small children anymore.

 

[cmarsh31]

Cheapest ticket plus EBCI. Best way to go with SW. I even do EBCI when I'm traveling without kids - easier to not have to think about dealing with it 24 hours in advance.

 

[waattmore]

SW with Early Bird Check in is great!

 

[scrapquitler]

Southwest is always our first choice when we are flying to a destination that they serve. Free bags makes a huge difference when you have a family of 3 or 4, and we don't mind if we don't all get to sit together (when the kids were little, I had a different opinion of that). I don't feel that the boarding is a cattle call, everyone seems to line up in the right spot and there's no jockeying for position. On a 'regular' airline with assigned seats, they act like they board by rows, but I've never seen them actually tell people they have to wait if they try to board early, and boarding 20 rows at once isn't that efficient, to be honest. And I find that airlines that charge for bags have more issues/conflicts with people trying to carry excessive bags on as carryons.

 

[DisneyMandC]

Okay in what sense? On-time record? Safety record? Customer satisfaction? Pilot experience?

They aren't particularly high on the list of business travelers because of their cattle-call boarding procedure (no assigned seats) and a lack of a true business class. However, leisure travelers tend to like them because of their fee-free baggage policy and generous terms for ticket changes.

I have flown with them many times to MCO and I actually prefer them to USAirways out of PHL.

I agree with Marionnette, DH flies for business a lot and doesn't like SW, but I LOVE them. To be honest, their boarding procedure (in terms of lining up) to me isn't really any worse than any other airlines. Because what happens whenever Delta calls for Zone 1? Everyone from Zones 2 and 3 are standing there in the way just waiting for their zone to be called, meanwhile blocking everyone whose zones have already been called. The seating doesn't really bother me, but then again it's just DH and I and we don't have kids to worry about.

I'm also a big fan of their customer service, because their flight attendants are usually hilarious and a little sassy. There are some good youtube videos of their in-flight announcements, and the humor is not exclusive to those flight attendants in the videos!

 

[wendow]

I love SWA!! I flew with them on my very first 'solo' flight at 7yo from Houston to Midland/Odessa. The flight attendants took great care of me then, and they are still pretty great today. I am now 41yo. I have flown just about every other US domestic carrier over the years but have stuck with SWA exclusively for about the last 10 years. They are just great. Like others, I don't find the boarding to be that much different, other than it forces you to get on the plane a bit earlier.

For us, even with the free baggage, SWA is usually not the lowest priced airline. We can always fly less on Frontier. But we don't. Last few times we flew them, the flight attendants were so grouchy. My dh has to fly them for work occasionally, and he would take SWA any day over Frontier.

 

[buzz2400]

you might also want to check prices on jetblue. they allow one checked luggage. southwest is ok but if you want to sit together you do need to buy the early bied checkin when coming home. we checked in exactly 24 hours before our flight and we got b37. the way the board is wheelchairs, then a group, then family with young child, then b group, then c group. i do prefer jetblue because the do have tvs, wifi and assigned seating.

 

[queenbetsey]

ok quick question, how much more does it cost for early bird check in and when can you check in with that

 

[Disneylover99]

ok quick question, how much more does it cost for early bird check in and when can you check in with that

It's $12.50 per person one way. You don't have to check in. SW will get your boarding position up to 36 hours in advance and you can print off your boarding position 24 hours before your flight.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

....... On a 'regular' airline with assigned seats, they act like they board by rows, but I've never seen them actually tell people they have to wait if they try to board early, and boarding 20 rows at once isn't that efficient, to be honest. And I find that airlines that charge for bags have more issues/conflicts with people trying to carry excessive bags on as carryons.

Airlines with assigned seating board in a number of ways; Zone, Rear to Front, and Outside-In (Window, Middle, Aisle). Of course, passengers with disabilities board first, sometimes also military in uniform. I have seen gate agents tell people trying to board in the wrong group to get out of line and join the right group many times.

 

[cmarsh31]

Pretty sure JetBlue changed and charges for all bags now.