Southwest Fans... are you reconsidering

[NJlauren]

Has anyone watched the SNL southwest skit?

 

[justafigment27]

Has anyone watched the SNL southwest skit?

Yes. LOL.

“Southwest Airlines … if it’s that important to you, just walk…”

I swear my whole family is still traumatized by our Christmas fiasco. It may have cured us of our overpacking though … after almost 2 weeks of no luggage, everyone in my family has pretty much sworn off checked bags (we’ll see how long that lasts).

 

[pindecisive]

DH and I got the companion pass through the Southwest credit card in 2018 and we flew around 30 flights that year with SW. I loved how friendly the attendants were, but I have to say that I prefer United.

We switched over to using United because SW didn't have any direct flights from SFO to MIA/FLL (at the time they also didn't have Hawaii yet) and we'd have to do at least one layover (sometimes two) to get to the East Coast. We've stayed because I prefer United's logistics over SW's.

I like choosing our seats up front, instead of the mad check in dash 24 hours before takeoff and I like loading in groups versus having to stand and wait next to your letter/number. I like that with the United credit card I get 2 bags free anyway and access to their lounges (which SW doesn't have).

SW is usually my first choice after, but definitely no longer our go-to.

 

[TinkAgainU]

SW is usually my first choice after, but definitely no longer our go-to.

Have been a SWA fan due to flexibility - but we typically pay for the Early Bird (which incidentially, is about the same as a 1 bag fee with other airlines). Lately, even paying for Early Bird we've Repeatedly NOT had our spot reserved and ended up boarding at the last spots - apparently if the flight is changed in Any way (in our case 2 flights were cancelled or time changes) when the flight changes, the Early Bird still SHOWS as active, but it is automatically cancelled (they said it was in process of being refunded) without notification! In each case our online reservation thru our account STILL showed the Early Bird as active (we checked!), so we had no way to know. Just cancelled our next two flights and booked on Alaska. That whole "jump thru hoops for a seat spot" at the start is a downer for a vacation, or extra stress for a business trip.

 

[pindecisive]

Have been a SWA fan due to flexibility - but we typically pay for the Early Bird (which incidentially, is about the same as a 1 bag fee with other airlines). Lately, even paying for Early Bird we've Repeatedly NOT had our spot reserved and ended up boarding at the last spots - apparently if the flight is changed in Any way (in our case 2 flights were cancelled or time changes) when the flight changes, the Early Bird still SHOWS as active, but it is automatically cancelled (they said it was in process of being refunded) without notification! In each case our online reservation thru our account STILL showed the Early Bird as active (we checked!), so we had no way to know. Just cancelled our next two flights and booked on Alaska. That whole "jump thru hoops for a seat spot" at the start is a downer for a vacation, or extra stress for a business trip.

WOAH. I didn't know that about Early Bird. We haven't paid for it in years since I usually just set a reminder to check in, but that's crazy.

SW just feels like so much extra work. For United you book the seat, use the kiosk to print out your bag tags, get a text reminder, roll out of the lounge and walk over to board.

Having to set a calendar reminder to check in for every flight, show up to the gate early and stand too close to other people to get a good seat, nope.

Did you see that comedian who checked in for his SW flight onstage? Hilarious.

 

[EACarlson]

Lately, even paying for Early Bird we've Repeatedly NOT had our spot reserved and ended up boarding at the last spots - apparently if the flight is changed in Any way (in our case 2 flights were cancelled or time changes) when the flight changes, the Early Bird still SHOWS as active, but it is automatically cancelled (they said it was in process of being refunded) without notification! In each case our online reservation thru our account STILL showed the Early Bird as active (we checked!), so we had no way to know.

This is the first I've ever heard of this happening. If it were a widespread issue FlyerTalk would be all over it, and it would be a huge news story.

 

[georgina]

If you cancel a flight you lose the early bird. If you modify you keep your spot in line. I never buy EB, I usually fly out of DCA early and get A spots at 24 hrs. Had B15 coming home from MCO last week, which was fine. I like SW boarding policies. Cattle calls at American are awful, SW is very orderly. I like their prices and the ability to easily modify to lower prices. Since this thread is almost a year old I probably already said this!

 

[paults]

we stopped using SW because they stopped their Non-stop flights during the week out of Philly. You can only get non-stop on Sat and Sun and usually it's the first flight in the morning or last at night. They do seem to stick 1 in mid afternoon. Been flying them for years but no more.

 

[TinkAgainU]

This is the first I've ever heard of this happening. If it were a widespread issue FlyerTalk would be all over it, and it would be a huge news story.

All I can say is it happened to me on two flights - I am a frequent flyer so quite familiar with the system. If I had Early Bird and had any changes to my flight, I'd be a fool not to try and check in at the 24 hour mark to be sure I had a decent seat and that my EB went thru. YMMV

 

[kittylady1972]

We made the switch to Spirit a few years ago and go back and forth between them and SWA. We tend to do quick trips to FL most of the time, and have our tried and true "Spirit" bags that are big enough to pack all of our stuff for a few days and fit under our seats for no extra bag fees. I like that we have seat assignments as I DETEST the cattle call of SWA. Sometimes our Spirit flights are so cheap that I'll "bid" on the Big seats or Exit Row Seats just for fun, and sometimes the flights are so cheap that even if I pay for a carry-on bag I'm at the same or less than my SWA flights.

That being said, there are times that SWA has some flight times that work better for us and we'll use them. Our local airport has several flights via Spirit and SWA a day to MCO so we just find the ones that work best for us and are cheapest. Plenty of people will cringe hearing Spirit, and I used to be one of those people, but overall in the dozens of flights we've taken with them over the last few years we haven't had any major issues. SWA we've had more cancelled and delayed flights.

 

[TinkAgainU]

We made the switch to Spirit a few years ago and go back and forth between them and SWA. We tend to do quick trips to FL most of the time, and have our tried and true "Spirit" bags that are big enough to pack all of our stuff for a few days and fit under our seats for no extra bag fees.

Funny, I have a Spirit Airlines carry on bag, and American/Alaska/Delta Airlines carry on bag, and a Southwest carry on bag - three different sizes I hate checking a bag, but will if I must - I just make sure I have enough in my carry on to see me thru if a bag is lost or delayed. I try for non-stops if checking a bag, and always put a tracker in it.

I'm very impressed when someone can get by with a Spirit sized bag for their full luggage. I saw someone get on a flight when it was Very hot out with their coat, hat, and scarf on. That's dedication.

 

[beccasmom]

we stopped using SW because they stopped their Non-stop flights during the week out of Philly. You can only get non-stop on Sat and Sun and usually it's the first flight in the morning or last at night. They do seem to stick 1 in mid afternoon. Been flying them for years but no more.

This is where we are as well. We’ve been using American instead and it’s been basically fine - lots of non-stop flights to choose from and no baggage fee if we use our AA credit card. We had great luck with SWA for several years, but the schedule changes in PHL became untenable for us.

 

[kittylady1972]

Funny, I have a Spirit Airlines carry on bag, and American/Alaska/Delta Airlines carry on bag, and a Southwest carry on bag - three different sizes I hate checking a bag, but will if I must - I just make sure I have enough in my carry on to see me thru if a bag is lost or delayed. I try for non-stops if checking a bag, and always put a tracker in it.

I'm very impressed when someone can get by with a Spirit sized bag for their full luggage. I saw someone get on a flight when it was Very hot out with their coat, hat, and scarf on. That's dedication.

Yeah we prefer to do carry-on as much as possible, but it is a struggle sometimes to just use the Spirit "personal item" bag and I have a few options.

I have done the layers for Spirit, but not to that level. I do use my travel "pillow" for extra storage at times though. I'm also not a big purse person, so I throw in an empty backpack and try to put all the items for it either tucked into my luggage or I use a small fanny-pack like bag to hold my wallet, headphones, etc and some other small items. I also have been known to check my usually overstuffed Spirit bag in their bag check kiosk and rearrange items as needed. What's funny is when I see people with very oddly shaped backpacks that I know would not fit into that kiosk but they never seem to get pulled aside. My daughter flew them home from MCO last time and mentioned the bag checker who stood at the doorway pulling people out as needed, so she was thankful when they were distracted when she scanned her ticket because she knew her Spirit bag was likely overstuffed and she (unlike me) would probably just pay rather than remove and rearrange things at will there. I've done that before but it's worth it to me to do the re-arrange to avoid the crazy day-of bag fees!

 

[keishashadow]

Yeah we prefer to do carry-on as much as possible, but it is a struggle sometimes to just use the Spirit "personal item" bag and I have a few options.

Spirit & Allegiant permit one to carry on an extra bag free if it’s a “medical bag”…literally, anything medical related you require for the trip.

RX & OTC meds, medical devices (apnea machines, blood glucose monitors, nebulizers etc & their supplies) and basically any reasonable other item One requires.

The above can easily fill up a small backpack.

BTW, They do spot check

allegiant offers great military benefits, even to those with just a DD214 as to free luggage, seats etc. not a fan of rental car rates from SFB tho.

spirit is difficult to pass up when there’s a $29 fare, especially one I can use my points. Wild that the checked bag is $50-$55.

my main issue with both Spirit & allegiant out of MCO/Stanford is that both offer few daily flight options to my market. This has created issues when flights are cancelled or delayed vs SWA that has been easier to cobble at least a connecting flight home in those sorts of instances.

We laughingly deem spirit departure times as “suggested”, rarely do they depart in a timely manner in our market. For that reason, I’d never rely upon them before a cruise, even day prior

 

[kittylady1972]

Spirit & Allegiant permit one to carry on an extra bag free if it’s a “medical bag”…literally, anything medical related you require for the trip.

RX & OTC meds, medical devices (apnea machines, blood glucose monitors, nebulizers etc & their supplies) and basically any reasonable other item One requires.

The above can easily fill up a small backpack.

BTW, They do spot check

allegiant offers great military benefits, even to those with just a DD214 as to free luggage, seats etc. not a fan of rental car rates from SFB tho.

spirit is difficult to pass up when there’s a $29 fare, especially one I can use my points. Wild that the checked bag is $50-$55.

my main issue with both Spirit & allegiant out of MCO/Stanford is that both offer few daily flight options to my market. This has created issues when flights are cancelled or delayed vs SWA that has been easier to cobble at least a connecting flight home in those sorts of instances.

We laughingly deem spirit departure times as “suggested”, rarely do they depart in a timely manner in our market. For that reason, I’d never rely upon them before a cruise, even day prior

Good to know about the medical bag! DH uses a Cpap but doesn't tend to travel with it. Spirit has done pretty well with our local airport getting us out on time most of the time.

 

[ParrotBill]

Southwest continues to be the best choice for me from Rochester NY to many destinations including Orlando. The only nonstops. And full size jets, while United and Delta and American often use express jets.

My express jet experiences: my carry-on bag has a 50% chance to be taken from me... So I have to also carry a very small bag and make sure my meds and electronics and food and drink are in that, which means no place for my feet! And then my carry-on with clothes and other important items I separated from my checked back for safety are also at risk for not making my second flight.

 

[EACarlson]

Southwest continues to be the best choice for me from Rochester NY to many destinations including Orlando. The only nonstops. And full size jets, while United and Delta and American often use express jets.

My express jet experiences: my carry-on bag has a 50% chance to be taken from me... So I have to also carry a very small bag and make sure my meds and electronics and food and drink are in that, which means no place for my feet! And then my carry-on with clothes and other important items I separated from my checked back for safety are also at risk for not making my second flight.

On every Regional Jet I've ever been on, the carryon sized bags are returned planeside. I've actually come to prefer them as I can have my carryon sized bag valet checked, my backpack goes in the overhead and I have a very small drawstring bag with the things I need for the flight that is at my seat. When I fly SW next week my carryon goes in the overhead and I have to have my backpack at my feet. Also more legroom in an E series regional than a SW 737.

 

[despeight]

I have been a SWA user since college, since I attended a school in Chicago and hated dealing with O’Hare…and it was friendlier on a college student budget.

I’ve never been a fan of the ‘hope and pray’ method of what seat you may be able to grab, but having 2 check in bags included was always enticing (I tend to overpack).

Fast forward 20+ years, I am traveling with my family and my mobility scooter. I try to use other airlines, but sometimes SWA is my best option financially and logistically, so we’ve done it (accompanied by the many moans and groans from my husband).

I have always kept them as an option for air travel, even if I considered it my last option. That all changed December 2022.

We had Universal Military tickets (basically treated as APs) and decided to add on a trip down to Orlando over the holidays to get some more use out of them. I always prefer using JetBlue from Reagan out of DC to MCO, but this was more of a last minute trip and their was the strong possibility that JetBlue may not have the 6 seats we needed. So, SWA was on my radar.

Luckily JetBlue worked out. We had a 45 minute delay out of DC, since they had to de-ice the wings, but the flight went smoothly. When we arrived at MCO on Dec. 24, I took a look at the Arrival/

 

[despeight]

I have been a SWA user since college, since I attended a school in Chicago and hated dealing with O’Hare…and it was friendlier on a college student budget.

I’ve never been a fan of the ‘hope and pray’ method of what seat you may be able to grab, but having 2 check in bags included was always enticing (I tend to overpack).

Fast forward 20+ years, I am traveling with my family and my mobility scooter. I try to use other airlines, but sometimes SWA is my best option financially and logistically, so we’ve done it (accompanied by the many moans and groans from my husband).

I have always kept them as an option for air travel, even if I considered it my last option. That all changed December 2022.

We had Universal Military tickets (basically treated as APs) and decided to add on a trip down to Orlando over the holidays to get some more use out of them. I always prefer using JetBlue from Reagan out of DC to MCO, but this was more of a last minute trip and their was the strong possibility that JetBlue may not have the 6 seats we needed. So, SWA was on my radar.

Luckily JetBlue worked out. We had a 45 minute delay out of DC, since they had to de-ice the wings, but the flight went smoothly. When we arrived at MCO on Dec. 24, I took a look at the Arrival/

Sorry, new to posting and my fat thumbs can’t be trusted, so I accidentally hit ‘Post Reply’ when trying to scroll on my phone.

So, I was looking at the Arrival/Departure screens and saw a ton of red. Then I stopped my husband (who works for FAA) and pointed out to him that pretty much all of them were SWA.

He immediately reached out to his office to find out what was going on. Once he understood the situation, he let me know that this was along time coming for SWA and basically was the ‘perfect storm’ for them to have a complete meltdown.

Unfortunately, if they do not update their systems and stop overbooking their flying crews (especially pilots) they will continue to have these issues. He isn’t confident they will invest the money needed to properly address these issues any time soon.

So, from here on out SWA is not a consideration for any future air travel.

 

[ParrotBill]

On every Regional Jet I've ever been on, the carryon sized bags are returned planeside. I've actually come to prefer them as I can have my carryon sized bag valet checked, my backpack goes in the overhead and I have a very small drawstring bag with the things I need for the flight that is at my seat. When I fly SW next week my carryon goes in the overhead and I have to have my backpack at my feet. Also more legroom in an E series regional than a SW 737.

That used to be the case, but in all my travel the last few years they tagged to final destination. They called for all basic economy first, saying there would be no room. And as usual, tagged all rollaboards as those are too big. I travel with my backpack as carry on but it won't fit under the seat (window seats, tiny space). I have to make sure it compresses flat enough to fit, and have to buy a better ticket with seat assignment.