Fly Southwest or hold out for Air Canada sale?

[FigmentSpark]

for next spring break?

I've never flown Southwest. I've never flown out of the US, except to come home. We'd be going Buffalo to Orlando, so that would mean driving from the GTA to Buffalo and leaving our car there. But I almost exclusively fly Air Canada (actually, Aeroplan), so will I be disappointed or happy I took Southwest?

I can save a few thousand by taking Southwest or get the same price, but flying out of YYZ 2 days earlier.

Or, we can just drive, which we thought we'd do. We rent a van (why put miles on ours?) and that driving plus rental price is similar to the Southwest price.

Does anyone have any advice regarding Southwest for me?

 

[kuhltiffany]

When we lived near the GTA, I always booked Southwest for March Break. To get the best deal, you need to book within the first 30 minutes the DAY the flights are released though. Even factoring in driving to Buffalo, staying overnight and parking, it was worth it.

Personally I wouldn't drive at that time of year, nor would I use up precious limited time off in the car. My parents have done it for years, they have the ability to stay in hotels on the way to wait out storms and are retired so can leave early/stay later to avoid weather if needed.

If you can leave a few days early and add onto your cation for the same price, that's what I would do (and did!). But you can't count on seat sales, especially at a high demand time. I booked the day flights were released (Westjet one way, Air Canada another) and the prices have skyrocketed since then!

 

[JenluvsDisney]

We live in Waterloo Region so not too far from the GTA. We've flown Southwest out of Buffalo many times and have been very happy with them. The flights are definitely no frills but, considering the cost savings, we're fine with that, especially since the flight time is less than 2.5 hours. The Buffalo airport is quite small and very easy to navigate and the parking prices are very reasonable compared to Toronto prices. If you're willing to drive to Buffalo, I think the cost savings are well worth it!

 

[kuhltiffany]

@JenluvsDisney just saw your ticker, are we on the same cruise?

We live in Waterloo Region so not too far from the GTA. We've flown Southwest out of Buffalo many times and have been very happy with them. The flights are definitely no frills but, considering the cost savings, we're fine with that, especially since the flight time is less than 2.5 hours. The Buffalo airport is quite small and very easy to navigate and the parking prices are very reasonable compared to Toronto prices. If you're willing to drive to Buffalo, I think the cost savings are well worth it!

 

[JenluvsDisney]

@JenluvsDisney just saw your ticker, are we on the same cruise?

That's so funny! I think we are!! Just got my Southwest flight booked this morning so it's starting to feel real. March Break can't come soon enough

 

[Hockeyfan17]

We fly Southwest all of the time and really like it. We booked this morning for March Break to Tampa and actually got prices that were less than the last couple of years. The prices are always a little higher than they are for our summer trips to WDW, but not as much more this year. Southwest has been our go to airline when we fly in the States. Their customer service is excellent, we signed up for Rapid Rewards and actually built up enough points to fly to Orlando this summer.

 

[bankr63]

And don't wait for an AC sale. March break will always be blacked out from any sales offered by AC. The prices on any flights to sun destinations that week will only rise.

 

[mab2012]

Probably lots of opinions on this. We've only flown Southwest once, out of Buffalo. We live in Ottawa so it was a longish drive, but the flight times worked well and it was at least $1000 cheaper for my family than anything I could find out of Ottawa or Montreal at the time.

My opinion? It was fine. Service was certainly no worse than you're likely to get with Air Canada. Because we were travelling with young kids and wouldn't necessarily be able to check in at 24h (I think we were coming off a cruise on the return flight, IIRC), we did pay for the Early-Bird check-in. I remember thinking that if you could check in at or near the 24h mark, the EBCI wouldn't be necessary. As it was, we were one of the first families on the plane in both directions, and certainly did not have an issue getting seats.

The airport in Buffalo is small and easy to access. Parking was straightforward and reasonably priced (by airport standards). You'll also clear customs at the land border, which is usually (but not always) faster than airport customs.

For us, the biggest advantage of flying out of the US is the opportunity to ship packages to a border pick-up point and save the duty. Of course you can usually ship to a hotel too, but then luggage space can be an issue.

If it could save you a few thousand dollars, it seems like it's worth trying once. IMO it would have to be pretty bad to be a few thousand dollars worth of disappointment.

 

[FigmentSpark]

I wasn't thinking of Southwest as a budget airline. I did see the same dates/times on Frontier for half what Southwest had and on opening day, Air Canada did have similar pricing.

Anyway, DH has an aversion to flying out of Buffalo. I don't know why, as he'd rather drive. It might be cost, but in the end, after gas and hotels (and van rental), it will be about the same as flying Southwest... if I'd booked this morning.

 

[marisabuzz]

I used to be a loyal AC flier. This changed when we started going to FL for our family vacations, we found the prices to be usually significantly better than flying out of Toronto especially after factoring the cost of parking and luggage. The other factor that made us BUF fliers rather than YYZ ones, was that Southwest is on the list of airlines that can use Resort Airline Check-in. This means that we leave for the airport 3 hours prior instead of 4 for int'l flights and they handle our luggage (not just from the airport to resort). With a young family, this mattered to us.

That said, SWA is a great airline. If they flew out of YYZ we would be even more loyal to them.

 

[Sue M]

I flew SW once, from Seattle. I had great service, flights were prompt, and they don't tend to cancel or change flights. AC on the other hand.......
So, yes I'd fly SW!!
It may be the same $ as driving, but flying you won't be spending valuable vacay time on the road. And driving home is never as fun as driving down, with the excitement of your vacay to look forward to.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Good point. SW puts out their schedule later, so they don't have to makes the changes another airline might make.

 

[ottawamom]

I love flying Southwest, even though it means a 4-6 hour drive to get to the airport. Years ago the prices simply couldn't be beat, now they are still cheaper than flying from Canada. We are a family of 5 so a 50-100 difference on each ticket adds up.

I find they stick to their schedules and don't change them once they are posted. Your first and maybe second bag are free and I find their flight attendants to be quite entertaining on the Florida route anyway.

I would be using them for my next trip but I'm booking with airmiles so I'll fly from home.

 

[Sue M]

I love flying Southwest, even though it means a 4-6 hour drive to get to the airport. Years ago the prices simply couldn't be beat, now they are still cheaper than flying from Canada. We are a family of 5 so a 50-100 difference on each ticket adds up.

I find they stick to their schedules and don't change them once they are posted. Your first and maybe second bag are free and I find their flight attendants to be quite entertaining on the Florida route anyway.

I would be using them for my next trip but I'm booking with airmiles so I'll fly from home.

It is sure a savings with 5!! It was a huge savings with just 2 of us the year we flew SW. I think RT was $250!! From Seattle to Florida. Even with a hotel stay near SeaTac both ways it was cheaper. Since we pick early morning flight, and return at night, with 3 hr time change and length of flights, I need a hotel. These days flights are no longer $250!! And factoring in hotel stays there's less of a difference in cost for 2 people. I know people who just drive without staying over night. But for a 6:00am flight I'd have to be at SeaTac by 3:00am to find parking, etc. So would have to leave home by 11:30pm. Driving with no sleep, not a great idea!

 

[Eeyore's the Best]

I would pay more and fly Southwest to avoid Pearson and Air Canada! We love flying Southwest out of Buffalo and the awesome tiny little airport. Land border crossing is so much easier and quicker. We had to fly out of Toronto on a last minute trip last year because Southwest was sold out and having to deal with Pearson and the long security and customs lines was awful. Returning on the flight from the time we landed and made it back to the Toronto airport hotel where we had parked was probably just as long as it would have taken us to land in Buffalo and then cross the border and drive to Toronto! We always stay at the Best Western Inn at the Buffalo airport, park and fly, shuttle to the airport and is 5 mins away. We have literally landed in Buffalo, retrieved luggage and been picked up and back to our car within 20 mins.

 

[dancin Disney style]

I have been flying SW for more than 10 years now, anywhere from 2-5 times per year. I live in Oakville, so only 20-25 minutes away from YYZ but much prefer going to BUF which is about a 90 minute drive. I love how flexible SW is and the fares are almost always much lower than YYZ. Even with the exchange rate the last couple of years I have saved a significant amount of money flying SW. I have travelled over March breaks several time including the last three years in a row. I am able to go slightly off the break and that makes the fare very affordable. By that I mean departing on the Wednesday or Thursday prior to the break and returning 7-8 days later. I partially disagree with the PP that said you must book the morning that the dates are released. In the past I have booked as late as mid February and still paid under $250 USD per person. This year I booked mid January and paid $215USD....if I had booked in December I would have paid $160. The previous two years in a row I booked in August when the fares where released and paid around $275USD. The first year I booked the morning it opened up but that trip my dates were less flexible. The following year the morning that the it opened up the prices were so much higher than the year before I thought we wouldn't be going. Later that night the departure date fares were reasonable so I booked but I didn't book a return flight for about 2 weeks until the fare dropped. Then over the next two months the fares dropped more than once and I got credits for the difference.

If you have to travel on the weekends of MB then you can expect to pay $400USD+ per person. If you can go a day or two before that the last three years they have had a flight that departs at 8pm. We have been taking that flight which is partially what has allowed us to go early. I leave work every day around 3-4pm so it's easy to get to BUF for an 8pm flight.

 

[FigmentSpark]

How does one ensure a good seat during the herd boarding that SW has?

 

[dancin Disney style]

How does one ensure a good seat during the herd boarding that SW has?

The boarding process is actually very fast and for the most part orderly. I think the people that complain about it are the type that complain about most things.

You have two options with regard to seats.
1. Pay for Early Bird Check In. However, it's $15 per person one way so it can add up. If seats are that important to you this is your best bet.
2. Be sure to check yourself in online right at the 24 hour mark. This is what I always do and have never had a problem getting a boarding position that was at least mid B. Just in March I actually forgot to check in and did it about an hour late and still got a B. It was the very end of the B's though.

 

[darwinsrule]

The boarding process is actually very fast and for the most part orderly. I think the people that complain about it are the type that complain about most things.

You have two options with regard to seats.
1. Pay for Early Bird Check In. However, it's $15 per person one way so it can add up. If seats are that important to you this is your best bet.
2. Be sure to check yourself in online right at the 24 hour mark. This is what I always do and have never had a problem getting a boarding position that was at least mid B. Just in March I actually forgot to check in and did it about an hour late and still got a B. It was the very end of the B's though.

Don't forget there is family boarding as well. Those travelling with kids 6 and under board between groups A and B. When our youngest aged out it was a sad day. Since we are usually busy at the 24 hour mark we normally pay for EBCI. Rather do that than interrupt vacation time. We also fly JetBlue and it really comes down to flight times and price. For March Break there are no good deals but it pays to be quick. We are on Navigator of the Seas out of Miami for MB, with EBCI we are at $1308 USD for four.

 

[dancin Disney style]

Don't forget there is family boarding as well. Those travelling with kids 6 and under board between groups A and B. When our youngest aged out it was a sad day. Since we are usually busy at the 24 hour mark we normally pay for EBCI. Rather do that than interrupt vacation time. We also fly JetBlue and it really comes down to flight times and price. For March Break there are no good deals but it pays to be quick. We are on Navigator of the Seas out of Miami for MB, with EBCI we are at $1308 USD for four.

Even with family boarding I've never had an issue getting 2-3 seats together with a mid B. They can and do cancel family boarding on the MCO flights if they have a very large number of kids. One of my flights last year I saw at least 60 people stand up and go to the family line when it was called. The gate agent then laughed and made about half of them go back to their normal boarding slot.