Southwest first-timer - not impressed

[disneysteve]

We flew Southwest for the first time on our California trip this month. I realize they are a discount carrier but I didn't realize how low frills they were. I had a few gripes with their policies.

1. You can't do online check-in until 12:01 AM the day of travel. Other airlines let you check in within 24 hours of flight time. If you have an early flight, as we did, this makes a big difference.

2. They don't have assigned seats. So at the terminal, everyone gets up from their reasonably comfortable seats an hour before loading time to line up standing or sitting on the floor to get a better seat. What a pain.

3. They don't show movies. I didn't expect them to be free but on a cross-country flight it's nice to have that distraction for a couple of hours.

There were some positives, though.

1. Comfortable seats.
2. No food carts - just hand-held trays so the aisles aren't always blocked.
3. Friendly staff, though our trip going was much friendlier than our return crew.

Would I fly with them again? Probably, now that I know what to expect. But the rates would have to be a major savings for me to choose Southwest over a traditional airline.

 

[lmhall2000]

Steve...I know it can be a little shock at first...but when I realize that I'm only paying $60 roundtrip to Orlando I feel like I should be serving THEM drinks on the plane! Heck, I'll even act out a movie to keep the passengers entertained...we usually bring my husband's laptop to play movies on for our kids...it's cheaper for me to fly them than take a 15 hour bus ride! That's truly remarkable...so for that I'm sooo very thankful..in fact, I think I will bring a goodie bag for the flight attendants and the crew...bet they'll get a kick out of that...
I'm just hoping with the recent gulf crisis that they won't cancel my flight for our trip!

I hope SW sticks to their method...the $$$ savings means more to me than a $1.25 soda.

Thanks for sharing your flight...many may not know their bare lined style!
Tara

 

[disneysteve]

Heck, I'll even act out a movie to keep the passengers entertained

I'm sorry you weren't on our flight. That would have been great.

 

[EthansMom]

Steve,

Thanks for your comments.

We've flown Southwest a couple of times and have also found them to be pretty bare bones. I have to say, though, that their fares are so low, it is often worth the hassle. And with so many of the higher-priced airlines taking on budget-cutting measures similar to Southwest's, the biggest difference that I've noticed is the cattle call at boarding time.

 

[dreams91]

And with so many of the higher-priced airlines taking on budget-cutting measures similar to Southwest's, the biggest difference that I've noticed is the cattle call at boarding time.

Yep, they didn't get the name cattle call airline for nothing.

 

[disneysteve]

Just to be clear, we were satisfied with the experience and would do it again. We just had no idea what to expect. I've seen lots of discussions about Southwest but never heard about these things. Certainly if I get DINGed with a great rate for November, I'll seriously consider flying instead of driving as we currently plan to do.

 

[Alexander]

We flew SW once from Rochester to Las Vegas, direct flight. There were four of us and we were in the first row. Great right? Well, the front row, in order to squeeze one more row onto the plane, was facing backwards! Yup, three of us sat backwards and one of us sat facing us. There was another couple there too. We were so squished in that our knees had to be intertwined together. It was so hot on the plane and we flew into very strong head winds that the flight lasted much longer than anticipated. It was the worst flight I have ever been on in my life! They did offer those that had to fly backwards a complimentary cocktail. Our first impressions weren't great either, but if the price is right, I'll use them to Orlando.

 

[WonderWomanDC]

I like Airtrain a little more. We seem to experience a lot more instances of delays due to planes not arriving or mechanical issues with Southwest. I have been delayed about 75% of the time with them.

 

[msblrobs]

Steve...I know it can be a little shock at first...but when I realize that I'm only paying $60 roundtrip to Orlando I feel like I should be serving THEM drinks on the plane! Heck, I'll even act out a movie to keep the passengers entertained

Tara, I totally am with you on that one!! I will be going to WDW three times this year strictly due to Southwest's fares. We live in upstate NY, so driving really isn't a realistic option. Non-stop flights with kids is a must and I have gotten $59.00 or less each way non-stop flights from ALB to MCO all three times for 2005. We are a family of five and SW makes traveling possible for us. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, Southwest

Sara
WDW 10/1-10/11 POP
DL 10/21-10/22
WDW Marathon 1/6-1/9 Swan & BWV

 

[disneysteve]

How did I forget to mention the other BIG problem? Both going and coming, we landed ahead of schedule only to sit on the plane waiting for a gate to be available to pull up and unload. In LA, we waited about 15 minutes. In Philly, we waited 40 minutes! The captain kept coming on the speaker and saying, "Thank you for your patience." It isn't like we had a choice. We couldn't get off the plane if we wanted to.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I don't mind no frills in exchange for a lower fare. I also find SWA to be very flexible in changing dates and crediting $$ on fares that have dropped in price after booking. You have to do a little legwork but that's ok by me.

Last year we were on the Disney Wonder right before Hurricane Frances hit. I called SWA from our stateroom at 5am to see if we could move our outbound flight from several days later (when MCO would be closed) to that day. I was on hold for quite a while and wasn't sure if they'd forgotten me but the reservations person came back on and told us she'd found us the last 4 seats on any flight out of MCO that day!! I was pretty impressed. They will continue to have our business.

 

[pearlieq]

I'm sorry to hear you didn't know what to expect when you booked your tickets--I bet the Southwest experience would be a big shock if you didn't know what was coming!

Because of the issues you mentioned, I will only fly Southwest when they are significantly lower than any other available airfare. Surprisingly, that isn't that often in the Chicago market. However, when I buy my tickets with Southwest I know exactly what I'm getting and consider it to be a trade-off for the lower price.

The one thing I will say is that the friendliest, most pleasant flight crews I've ever met have been on Southwest flights. I've never had another airline come close.

 

[disneysteve]

The one thing I will say is that the friendliest, most pleasant flight crews I've ever met have been on Southwest flights.

I agree. The crew we had Philly to LA was great. Very friendly, joking around with everyone, extremely helpful. Definitely a plus. The crew going home was good but not quite as bubbly.

 

[WDWorBUST]

I've flown American, Delta, and SW....I would fly Southwest over the other two any day. But I know what to expect - I like the fact that they have one of the best if not the best safety record. I like that the crews are so friendly and helpful. I don't even mind the cattle call. But it would be a shock if you didn't know what to expect

 

[Disneynutbsv]

What airlines show movies? My mom said she flew on a few that showed movies...
I've only flown Southwest and usair....

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

Frontier Airlines has DirectTV on their planes.

 

[mrp4352]

We flew SW once from Rochester to Las Vegas, direct flight. There were four of us and we were in the first row. Great right? Well, the front row, in order to squeeze one more row onto the plane, was facing backwards! Yup, three of us sat backwards and one of us sat facing us. There was another couple there too.

All of the rear facing seats have been taken out of service on SWA. No more squashed knees!

 

[disneysteve]

What airlines show movies? My mom said she flew on a few that showed movies...
I've only flown Southwest and usair....

As far as I know, USAir still shows movies on cross-county flights. And I know we had a movie when we went to Vegas a few years ago but I don't remember what airline we used.

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

Sorry that your SWA experience was less than you expected, Steve. We flew them for the first time in April but I was aware of the 12:01 am checkin and the cattle-call boarding thanks to some posts on the Transportation board. I'm sure that those posts have long since been buried.

With that said, I would choose SWA over USAir out of Philly anyday. SWA did not lose my luggage (as USAir is prone to do), it departed on time, landed ahead of schedule and the luggage was actually waiting on the baggage claim carousel when I got there. I also like their very lenient refund and cancellation policies. SWA will always let you rebook at a lower fare if it is available and they do it with no penalty charges. I can't say the same for USAir.

I don't care for the cattle-call boarding but we had "A" boarding passes and we waited until almost boarding time to join the line. We still had our pick of seats. Even though I had stayed up the night before our trip in order to secure those "A" boarding passes, I later learned that I probably could have checked in the following morning for our 6pm flight and still gotten an "A" pass.

In all, I feel that SWA does a great job of keeping their fares low while still providing excellent service. USAir could take a few pages from their training manuals.

 

[Disneynutbsv]

As far as I know, USAir still shows movies on cross-county flights. And I know we had a movie when we went to Vegas a few years ago but I don't remember what airline we used.

Well, that would explain why we didn't get a movie, lol. I just go from NH to fl