Southwest Airlines

[jessp1021]

I was wondering if anyone had flown with them before?? We are looking at flying through them with 2 kids this fall and my hubby has only flown once me twice and the kids never!

 

[teresajoy]

I was wondering if anyone had flown with them before?? We are looking at flying through them with 2 kids this fall and my hubby has only flown once me twice and the kids never!

We really like Southwest airlines. If you go to their website, there is a little tuturial to walk you through the steps of their boarding process. Make sure you do the online booking 24 hours before your flight, that will get you to near the front of the line. It's a lot wasier to carry carseats on the plane when you don't have to worry about bonking everybody in the head as you carry them to a seat!

 

[momxx5]

Southwest is a great airlines. DH flies with them a lot.

If your trip is 2 months away and you are considering flying then I happily suggest you make your reservations soon. Prices are going up daily. Southwest had greagt deals, especially if you book early and do it over the internet.

The kids will LOVE flying.
Keep us posted.

 

[MrsPooh]

We LOVE Southwest. In this case "we" means our family, my parents, my sister & family, my uncle & family - nearly everyone. Only my 80 yr old grandmother doesn't care for them but that is because any change confuses her and she's been flying American for 30 yrs.

 

[pbharris4]

Flew them for the first time last year and loved them! Flying again this year. Much better than Airtran.

 

[5 for WDW]

We only fly SW. We love them.

 

[a1tinkfans]

Really LOVE southwest here!

Some hints:
*Be sure to check in on line at the 24 hour mark and when at DW, go to any concierge area at any hotel or park (bring your conf #) and they will get you checked in at the 24 hr mark and either print put pass for you or you can get the pass at airport at counter( I usually just have them print it).
*Great if you download DING and happen to get a reduced flight, NO FEES to change anything and they will give you credit back ( to be used later)
*New boarding procedure seems to be working well, not sure age of your kids, but after A's board (they go wheelchairs first THEN pre-boards (those with blue passes) then A's then families with young kids, think its under 3 (?) and then B's and then c's., better organized now.
*very professional and have not had an issue to date.
*By the way their credit card gives amazing deals if it works for you, $ off and quite a good deal for "extra" miles, We earned a free ticket for both my DH and myself and had NO problem getting the flight we wanted (unlike DELTA, don't even go there, I avoid them like the plague if I can and have had free int'l miles I STILL can't use, They should be called BLACKOUT airline! UGH!)
Good Luck!

 

[dbarker]

We have flown Southwest and American in the past. American is really convenient b/c we can get a flight out of our hometown airport. However, next trip we will be flying Southwest. Yes, we will have to drive 100 miles to the major airport, but a much better airline.

Unless the other airlines start making some major positive changes, we will be flying Southwest from now on. Southwest has very few delays (if any), they aren't charging extra for checked bags (2 allowed), they give you snacks, their service is always friendly.

 

[letthewookiewin]

My sister flies Southwest from New Orleans to Dallas and she loves it. I don't like to fly Southwest. I am an uber WDW trip planner, and I like to know what seats we are going to be in before we get on the plane. Heck, I even check the American Airlines website at least once a week to see how full the plane is. Also, the airport to fly Southwest is further from our house (Love Field, Dallas TX), so it is more convenient to fly an airline that flies out of Dallas/ Fort Worth International.

 

[fireman17]

We've flown Southwest numerous times and each time we never had a problem. This past February our flight home was delayed but it was due to weather conditions and my wife was getting updates on her cell phone so we were able to take our time at the airport.
Our flight was scheduled to depart at 1:45 but we didn't leave until 3:30 on the flight the crew was just hysterical because they were so tired.
One steward saw my pregnant wife and told her if she goes into labor she's on her own.
I ordered a beer and when it was brought to me I was informed they were free due to the delay. They were able to get us into Providence RI an our before a major snow storm hit.
We are flying Southwest this October and again, not a worry at all.

 

[Schmeck]

The only thing you have to be careful about on Southwest is if you are getting on a flight that is a connecting one, and you are boarding at the second stop. There will be people already seated on the plane, and it may be more difficult to get seats together.

 

[C.Ann]

I only fly Southwest and I love it.. Their crews are a riot and can make even the most nervous flyer feel comfortable..

 

[eeyoregon]

I have flown SWA over 40 times both alone and with my two kids.

Pros:
1.) They are usually cheaper.
2.) You can not beat their cancellatin policy. If you have to cancel your trip, you don't lose your money or pay any fees to change your flights. Instead they put the amount that you spent into a credit that is good for 1 year from the original date of purchase. When you rebook you just apply the credit that you have towards your new tickets.
3.) As of today you can still check 2 pieces of luggage per person at no additional charge up to 50 lbs each.

Cons:
1.) No seat assignment but if you do online check-in exactly 24 hrs prior to your flight you should get some of the earliest boarding passes. Note that boarding passes #1 thru #18 are "first class" so the lowest number you can get is #18 unless you paid for a "first class" ticket which means you sit with everyone else but you get one of the 1st boarding passes and free drink coupons.
2.) No inflight music or movies.
3.) Out of my past 8 flights on SWA, 7 have been late 1 hour or more (in November it was delayed 4 hrs because they couldn't find a flight crew to fly our plane!). Last month our flight was 1 hour late which caused us to miss our connecting flight on SWA and our luggage ended up in another state!

They are definitely a no frills airline.

 

[MomofSkaters]

We love Southwest..........on your kid's 1st flight, they can get special certificates (ask stewardess), flight crew is always pleasant and funny (ours sang to us when we landed ) So easy and if you need to change plans, no fees, and your balance is good to use for up to a year.