I'm sorry to say this but Southwest SUCKS!!

[joxer1014]

Like I said, flame all you want. I just want to voice my opinion about the fares. I know gas is up. I know all the other factors. I know that last year or so SW paid less money for fuel and now that is over but now corporate greed is taking over. When SW was so low and the competition wasnt matching their fares, they still weren't $270 r/t Maybe I just got used to SW having low prices. IMHO $270 round trip from PHL to MCO is too freaking high. I know there are other cities out there that would LOVE to have that fare but in MY city that is the all time highest r/t fare to Orlando I have seen since I started flying. So I say it again: SW SUCKS.

Keep the flames coming. I got my asbestos suit on.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Keep the flames coming. I got my asbestos suit on.

No one has posted anything close to a "flame." You are entitled to your opinion. I doubt if anyone reading this thread cares what airline you fly.

I do think that you don't have a clear understanding of how a business is supposed to work. It's not corporate greed to make a fair profit for shareholders.

 

[dburg30]

Well, from CMH to MCO, there is no thing such as a 'cheap' flight anymore... I think that's pretty much how it is everywhere now. Yes, AT has flights for 238 rt compared to SW for 280... but.. of course 45 in bags makes the difference. Plus for even $20 difference pp each way for 3 of us if we only needed one bag, it's not worth the change IMO.. I dont like change. I'm familiar with SW, I know how they work, where their stuff is etc etc. I'm still good with them.. It's a bummer prices are higher now, but the airline doesnt suck lol.. Man.. Victoria and Alberts must be the suckiest restaurant at WDW then lol.

 

[bookwormde]

I am a southwest fan, but it is fading as their prices are not a value anymore.

For OP if you live on the western side of Phily, try MDT (Harrisburg), Frontier has non stops for $90 2 days a week and it is only an hour drive!

 

[dudspizza]

Like I said, flame all you want. I just want to voice my opinion about the fares. I know gas is up. I know all the other factors. I know that last year or so SW paid less money for fuel and now that is over but now corporate greed is taking over. When SW was so low and the competition wasnt matching their fares, they still weren't $270 r/t Maybe I just got used to SW having low prices. IMHO $270 round trip from PHL to MCO is too freaking high. I know there are other cities out there that would LOVE to have that fare but in MY city that is the all time highest r/t fare to Orlando I have seen since I started flying. So I say it again: SW SUCKS.

Keep the flames coming. I got my asbestos suit on.

Sucks is a very poor word choice......

Last time I checked, there are other airlines that fly from Philly. Trains, buses, and cars also go to Orlando from Philly.... go figure....

 

[jctwizzer]

Ah, the entitlement mentality. From Philadelphia no less.
What a surprise!! Guess he/she hasn't bought a car or
other item lately. You can't fix a lack reality............

 

[helenk]

I've noticed today that some flight times have gone back down in price.
For the price difference I would still go with SW over Airtran. At least with SW, you know your flight time won't change. Almost each time I've booked with Airtran they have changed my fight time significantly.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Like I said, flame all you want. I just want to voice my opinion about the fares. I know gas is up. I know all the other factors. I know that last year or so SW paid less money for fuel and now that is over but now corporate greed is taking over. When SW was so low and the competition wasnt matching their fares, they still weren't $270 r/t Maybe I just got used to SW having low prices. IMHO $270 round trip from PHL to MCO is too freaking high. I know there are other cities out there that would LOVE to have that fare but in MY city that is the all time highest r/t fare to Orlando I have seen since I started flying. So I say it again: SW SUCKS.

Keep the flames coming. I got my asbestos suit on.

So it sounds like you think Southwest's only variable cost or expense is fuel, while everything else stays where it was a couple of years ago and isn't predicted to increase? Or that they'll 'eat' the costs that do go up? Things like taxes, payroll, parts, insurance...?

 

[lylone]

I agree that Southwest SUCKS! They took XM radio out of all the airtran planes. Now I have to listen to all the noises that scare the crap out of me when the plane takes off. I also can't choose where I sit on the plane until the "free for all" seat choosing.
Both help me a lot with my anxiety for flying. Looks like Delta will be getting my business.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Like I said, flame all you want. I just want to voice my opinion about the fares. I know gas is up. I know all the other factors. I know that last year or so SW paid less money for fuel and now that is over but now corporate greed is taking over. When SW was so low and the competition wasnt matching their fares, they still weren't $270 r/t Maybe I just got used to SW having low prices. IMHO $270 round trip from PHL to MCO is too freaking high. I know there are other cities out there that would LOVE to have that fare but in MY city that is the all time highest r/t fare to Orlando I have seen since I started flying. So I say it again: SW SUCKS.

Keep the flames coming. I got my asbestos suit on.

Something tells me that this "high horse" is going to either result in a hard fall to pride or fare fewer trips to MCO.

Time will tell.

 

[goofy4tink]

So, I got curious. So, I looked at fares for June 17,returning on June 23, Philly to Orlando. Using SW's cheapest fares (and not so great times..7pm leaving Philly, 7:30am leaving Orlando) and I got $270.
With Airtran.....leaving Philly at 9am, and leaving MCO a 8am, I got $253, but add in a checked bag (no seat choice or preferred boarding) and it goes up to $273. I'm not exactly sure what the problem is.

The thing is that many got used to paying less than $100 each way, when flying to MCO. We got spoiled..and everyone started making yearly trips. Heck, the airlines were practically paying us to fly down there. Well....the bubble burst..and now we're back to normal.
When I first started flying to Orlando, from Boston or Providence, I was happy if I paid $250 or below. Then, it was around $150, r/t!!!! Then, it got to being happy if it was below $275. Now?? I'm back to happy if I get that $250...and I usually do.

This is not corporate greed. The airlines aren't all that profitable. Yes, they are doing better, but they had to raise prices or risk going under. There was no way they were going to be able to fly a large number of people to Florida for under $200. So, they put 'x' number of really cheap seats out there...and once those seats are gone, they're gone. You wait too long? You pay top dollar.

 

[NancyIL]

Flame all you want but today I did my daily check on SW for fares for the end of June from PHL to MCO and for the last week or two the cheapest was $135 each way and now today it jumped to $148! What in the world is going on with them? Yeah they dont charge for bags but now I can go to Airtran and get one way for $118. Even though Airtran charges $20 a bag, now it is cheaper to take Airtran with the bag fees!

I'm sorry Southwest.......YOU SUCK!!!!!

He who hesitates is lost. You snooze, you lose. A $13 fare increase each way isn't an exorbitant amount. Since you like the word so much - SUCK it up and pay it or fly on another airline! (As already mentioned, AirTran is now owned by Southwest.)

 

[ccgirl]

Flame all you want but today I did my daily check on SW for fares for the end of June from PHL to MCO and for the last week or two the cheapest was $135 each way and now today it jumped to $148! What in the world is going on with them? Yeah they dont charge for bags but now I can go to Airtran and get one way for $118. Even though Airtran charges $20 a bag, now it is cheaper to take Airtran with the bag fees!

I'm sorry Southwest.......YOU SUCK!!!!!

Personally, I don't think it's just SW. It seems all the airlines are higher than they were a year ago.

SW $135

Airtan $118, +$20 bag, +$6 seat. A whopping difference of $1

That's why I book the day the fares are released and keep an eye and take a credit if the price drops.

I have always found SW, Airtran, or JetBlue to be the least expensive.

 

[TDC Nala]

Flight prices are up amongst pretty much all airlines I take to and from Orlando, it takes a lot more work to find a decent fare. I guess they all suck.

Or it's the situation that sucks, because you're either going to pay more to get to Orlando, or you're not going to get there as much. Not sure who didn't know that was coming.

 

[Darbymac]

Agreed! Southwest is horrible!

 

[MistressMerryweather]

There's nothing to complain about as far as we are concerned. Good non-stop flight times to MCO from PIT, no baggage fees and NO CHANGE FEES.
As a vacationer with 4 small children(infant, 3yo, 6yo and 8yo), I need that no change fee. That alone sells me. I've used it for every trip we've taken, multiple times. When your airfare drops by $50, times 5 tickets each way...sucks isn't the word that comes to mind.

 

[dthogue]

There's nothing to complain about as far as we are concerned. Good non-stop flight times to MCO from PIT, no baggage fees and NO CHANGE FEES.
As a vacationer with 4 small children(infant, 3yo, 6yo and 8yo), I need that no change fee. That alone sells me. I've used it for every trip we've taken, multiple times. When your airfare drops by $50, times 5 tickets each way...sucks isn't the word that comes to mind.

Very well said - the no change fee sells Southwest for us - like you, we can change our flights several times before our trip - we have even changed airports due to lower fees - that along with the no baggage fees and they don't change the flight times constantly is why we LOVE Southwest.

If you don't like what you see on SW, don't fly them, us another carrier!!!

 

[kerplop]

I like SWA a lot. A lot, a lot. But honestly this year's fares have got me Last year I could get a flight from HOU->MCO for about $200 a person after taxes and unless they come down for this fall, they'll probably be closer to $400 a person this year. That makes me not like them as much, but they're still a better deal than the other carriers to our airport. For some reason we have really crazy fares most of the time, which is odd as we're the 4th largest U.S. city.

 

[TamaraQT]

I also fly from PHL to MCO and I am also disappointed with airfare prices. I was hoping SW would remain the cheapest option because I just love Southwest. I have to admit, the $135 one-way was hard to swallow, when I know there was a time when I paid $59, $79, and $89. Last year the lowest SW flight was $119 and I held out and missed out. However, I was able to book on United for $59 from PHL to MCO. With taxes and baggage fees it was still $105.40 and we had to make a stop at Dulles in DC for an hour layover. Coming back from MCO to PHL I flew airtran which was still cheaper than SW because it was holiday weekend. So in the end, all and all, I still got to Orlando and had a wonderful vacation. The good news is I discovered SW doesn't RULE the skies!! I flew other airlines and enjoyed it. So to the OP, I suggest, get used to the airfare prices. Like someone else said "WE WERE SPOILED" and now that's over. But who knows, I am always hopeful that we may see it again one day.

In the meantime, this year I booked the SW flight 07/18 from PHL to MCO for $135! Only because the early morning nonstop flight is what my family LOVES!! I still have yet to book our return flights. I am honestly hoping another airline will give me a drop in fare like United did last year from PHL to MCO. If so, the GOOD NEWS is, I can REBOOK my southwest flight to my return flight. Not all airlines give that option. So keep that in mind. I am not happy about prices either, but I am thankful that they are still affordable for me to be able to take the family on vacation. And at the end of the day, that's what it's all about. Good luck!! I hope you find something that works for you!!

Now....on to the transportation board where I CAN RANT about rental car prices for July!!!

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

There's nothing to complain about as far as we are concerned. Good non-stop flight times to MCO from PIT, no baggage fees and NO CHANGE FEES.
As a vacationer with 4 small children(infant, 3yo, 6yo and 8yo), I need that no change fee. That alone sells me. I've used it for every trip we've taken, multiple times. When your airfare drops by $50, times 5 tickets each way...sucks isn't the word that comes to mind.

We used SWA going to MCO from PIT, but coming back we used Air Tran.
Our departure flight we were able to use points through our SWA credit card.

SWA was beyond ridiculous for our return flight. Even with baggage fees, seat fees and IF we had to change our tickets, Air tran would still be cheaper.

I'm nervous for the day SWA and AT become one. There will be NO competition in Pittsburgh . I'm afraid we'll never be able to afford to fly anywhere.