southwest. what to expect any advice.

[sejeta]

This is my first time flying out of buffalo and I got a very good rate 59 a person non stop but I've never flown with southwest before.

Any thing I should know or expect. Any good or bad experiences.

Thanks so much.

 

[AndyMcV]

Hi

We flew with Southwest for the first time out of Buffalo last June. It was really great. The Buffalo airport is small, clean and easy to navigate. Southwest was great too especially with the price we paid. We are flying with them in August of this year and have absolutely no worries. They are a great airline.

Andy

 

[boundfordisney]

We have flown out of Buffalo and with Southwest for the last 4 years in a row to wdw, never had any problems whatsoever. Got the same great rate at 59.00 for our upcoming November trip!The airport is so easy to navigate, you really can t get any better then Southwest and the Buffalo airport!

 

[mom22belles]

This is my first time flying out of buffalo and I got a very good rate 59 a person non stop but I've never flown with southwest before.

Any thing I should know or expect. Any good or bad experiences.

Thanks so much.

Make sure you do online check in 24 hrs in advance. You want boarding group A or B

Like most airlines you will only get a bag of peanuts ( or such) and a drink.

Buffalo airport food is very expensive ... eat before hand

I have flown Southwest 3 or 4 times now. Never had a real bad experience with them . Although once our non stop was changed just before take off. We ended stoping in Baltimore to pick up passengers that had been stuck there due to a storm the day before. All in all at most it added 20 minutes to or scheduled arrival time.
Last trip we where flying home on my DD birthday and the annouced it to the whole plane and wished her happy birthday.

If you have small kids Buffalo airport has a small Fisher Price play area for kids

Southwest airlines is very casual, flight attendents often wear shorts and sing and dance while they work.

Nancy
P.S. If you a questions ask away. We are flying them again in Aug. can't beat 59$ flights.

 

[iluveeyore]

We are going in August too and also got $59 flight (but have to connect). We fly Southwest out of Buffalo every year, and have never had a complaint. We have tried other airlines (Airtran, US Air, Delta) and have complaints for each one, so have learned to stick with Southwest.
The boarding is different than other airlines, but we like it much better now than when we used to have to line up early and sit on the floor for an hour for a good seat. Now we just check in on line 24 hours before and Group A or B is just fine to be able to pick seats. They line you up according to the numbers on your boarding pass (Group A, Section 31 for example) and you stand by the sign with your number on it. Then you just pick your seats when you board.
Buffalo airport is so nice - easy to get to with minimum traffic, easy to park with a shuttle that picks you up near your car, and it's a short wait to get to your gate.
As a previous poster said, you only get small snack and drink. We always buy one bottle of pop and one bottle of water in the airport to take on the plane (helps for popping ears or in case someone needs a gravol/Tylenol while in flight), and I always pack snacks in my large tote - fruit snacks, granola bars, pringles, and candy & gum to pop ears.
Have a great time!

 

[angela1044]

I have nothing to add except that we flew with them in February and loved it.

The airport was great. The play area was awesome for the kids and yes the food was expensive but no worse than Pearson.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[Anjiebaby]

Love Buffalo airport and Southwest. Parking is easy and reasonable. We usually pull up to the terminal, unload the luggage by Southwest curbside check in then my husband goes to park the car. I wait with the kids in the terminal for him to come back on the shuttle. It just all seems so much less harried than Toronto Pearson.

 

[theweave]

I have flown Southwest several times out of BUF and love them!!!

Here are some things about them (some already mentioned)

1. No fees for baggage!
2. No change fee for flights
3. You do get a snack and a drink but they are free! I even had Baileys and coffee and was not charged a dime. Note: if you do want alcohol, they do not accept cash, only a credit card for us.
4. Their flight attendants have a sense of humour!

Why I love Buffalo Airport:

1. So small. easy to get around. 1 hour ahead is usually good for me.
2. You clear customs at the Peace Bridge and not the airport!

If you are looking for food, there is a Denny's nearby and a McDonalds right across the street.

If you are looking for a hotel, Sleep Inn is right beside and has a shuttle that is free and is very reasonable for Park and Fly!

If you need any more advice, feel free to ask! If not ENJOY!

 

[AndyMcV]

What gets me is the price of flying out of YYZ versus BUF.

We were going to fly out of Toronto for our trip last June but the prices were approximately $2600 for the 4 of us with Air Canada. So I checked SW and we ended up with (taxes in) under $800 for the 4 of us out of Buffalo. Hmmm... drive an extra 1.5 hours or pay an extra $1800. Now how can you beat that with a really easy airport to navigate and an airline that rivals any other.

 

[theweave]

What gets me is the price of flying out of YYZ versus BUF.

We were going to fly out of Toronto for our trip last June but the prices were approximately $2600 for the 4 of us with Air Canada. So I checked SW and we ended up with (taxes in) under $800 for the 4 of us out of Buffalo. Hmmm... drive an extra 1.5 hours or pay an extra $1800. Now how can you beat that with a really easy airport to navigate and an airline that rivals any other.

I could not agree more! Toronto is one of the most expensive airports to fly out of period! Air Canada is a total joke and no wonder they are going bankrupt! No one will pay their extortion fees!

Southwest has a whole lot of "luv" in my mind! My only beef is they don't release their airfares early enough!!!! I want to figure out my February vacation and can't do nothing until very late this year!

It is a no brainer to me to fly SW. Even spending $89 to stay overnight in Buffalo the night before saves me money! BTW, if you stay at the Sleep Inn, they have their FREE breakfast out at 4:00 am! If you have an early morning flight like I did, you can still eat and catch their shuttle over. The shuttle takes about 3 minutes to get there! Well two if you have the driver I had last tme!

 

[My 2 princesses]

What gets me is the price of flying out of YYZ versus BUF.

We were going to fly out of Toronto for our trip last June but the prices were approximately $2600 for the 4 of us with Air Canada. So I checked SW and we ended up with (taxes in) under $800 for the 4 of us out of Buffalo. Hmmm... drive an extra 1.5 hours or pay an extra $1800. Now how can you beat that with a really easy airport to navigate and an airline that rivals any other.

Throw in hotel and parking and your still way ahead of the game. I know last year when my TA was recommending that I fly out to Bufalo, I was skeptical and researching etc. But when you look at the cost savings, it's then a no-brainer.

 

[sejeta]

I feel so much better for my flight choice now. I think we will be staying in a hotel the night before even though our flight isn't until 10:15 I would better being closer to the airport. I'll look into sleep in

Thanks again.

You guys are the best!!!