Talk to me about SWA...

[digiMom]

I have seen numerous threads about Southwest Airlines with great information (so know about the "A, B, C" thing and checking in online).

What I would like to have is some frank, honest reviews. The good, the bad, and the ugly. What type of plane? Any horror stories? Would you travel on them again?

I would be traveling with DH (terrified of flying), DD (8 who has "invisible" disablities- hypotonia, sensory integration disorder-so I don't think they'd qualify as early entry/disabled???; she has never flown before) and DS (5, never flown before). (I've flown several times and it doesn't bother me at all )

They're rates seem fabulous. Would fly in from Chicago, Midway.

 

[inkkognito]

We fly SW to/from Midway to Orlando all the time. I dreaded the thought of going to the Cattle Call, since I had been spoiled by ATA (wonderful 757-300 planes, Elite status), but when ATA bailed, I had no choice.

While I don't like their 737s as well as ATA's planes, the boarding process is not as bad as I thought, maybe because I am a compulsive planner. I make sure to print my boarding pass as soon as I can, ensuring an A. I make sure to be one of the first in the A line, ensuring an excellent choice of seats. The service is fine, although I've never gotten any of the joking flight attendants that SW is supposed to be famous for. I don't check luggage, so I can't say they've ever lost any. Their on-time rate is not as good as I thought (at least for me...my husband and I often fly separately, and he must have good karma because his flights usually arrive early).

Overall, I just think of SW as a big Greyhound in the sky...no frills, but well worth the excellent prices. Also, while their frequent flyer benefits are not as good as ATAs and they don't allow free standby on an earlier flight, I love the fact that you can make changes without penalty.

If you've ever seen the show "Airline," DO NOT base your opinions on it. I've seen it filmed at Midway many times, and they tend to "enhance" the situations and encourge the people.

Hope this helps!

Barb

 

[Laurajean1014]

I have no problem flying SWA, however, I seldom do.

Their open ticket window is so tight that it is nearly impossible to find airfare. We are going in April and sometime in November, December will they open the April flights.

Last year, we waited and I checked every couple of hours. I missed it. They booked completely in 1.5 hours. ERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRr.

We ended up saving more money than we would have on SWA and found better airlines that don't play these games.

Best way to travel SWA, is when you have no plans, find a fare that's cheap and go.

 

[safetymom]

If you do a search here on the transportation board you will find lots of comments about SW. Most people love SW.

 

[SB in KY]

I used to hate SW (I always felt like I was travelling "cattle class" when I flew with them)...but as service on other airlines has declined so drastically....I now think SW is my airlinr of choice.

Planes are always clean, they have never lost my luggage, they have an excellent on time record and an unbeatable policy for ticket refunds/changes, etc.

In short they get me where I want to go, on time, they get my luggage there with me and they usually seem to have a good time doing it and it costs a lot less than anyone else.

There are no unexpected perks, and it is definately no frills... but IMHO their customer service can't be beat.

One added bonus....they do not alter their flight schedule after it is posted....so if you book an 8AM flight you will be on an 8AM flight!!

 

[Poohbear123]

Great, I am flying them for the first time in Nov. Sounds like a good airline to me, I loved the price.

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

We fly a lot (often 4 -5 times a month), and we fly SW exclusively. We used to fly on many different airlines, and live 10 minutes from a huge airport, but now we drive 45 minutes to get to the airport SW flies out of.

For our money, SW does the things they should do really well and lets the unimportant stuff slide. They are almost always on time, our bags don't get lost, and they have a great safety record. Not to mention the low prices, and the fact that we can easily change our travel plans without change fees.

No frills, but we've developed a system that works for us that makes SW better than any other airline. We print out our boarding passes as soon as they are available (24 hrs before the flight now). That gets us in the "A" group. (With kids that means that you don't have to line up early - just be ready to board at the end of the "A" group and you'll be sure to get seats together.)

We bring food we actually want to eat, and a DVD player with movies we want to watch. We almost never run into a crabby flight attendant, and we get where we're going on time and in one piece. They have a great frequent flyer program, so between the "companion pass" we get each year for accumulating 100 credits, and the free tickets for every 16 credits, I haven't paid for a ticket anywhere for myself in a couple of years at least. (And watching the DING fares, my husband's tickets are usually cheap, cheap, cheap. For example, the two of us are flying from BWI to Orlando in December roundtrip for $117.) We love SW!!!

 

[Servants of Evan]

For me, Southwest is just too no-frills. I've often had the desire to "moo" when boarding the planes, as we're definately just another herd. One of the web boards I belong to refers to passengers as SLF - Self Loading Freight and with Southwest, it's definatly the case. Yes, I've had a few "funny" flight attendants (though I've also had a few on other airlines as well) and one of the gate attendants at BMI was downright hysterical, but that doesn't make me want to fly with them any more than anyone else. Sorry, I just like to pick my seats and if you're connecting that can be pretty tough being at the head of the line...

Servants of Evan

 

[digiMom]

... for the feedback.

For those of you who have flown out of Midway, any opinions on the airport itself? I rarely go into Chicago any further than the northern suburbs or Shedd. I have no idea what to expect. (I've flown out of Mitchell (Milw), and transfered in O'Hare, but that was a long time time -- last time I flew was in 1992)

Thanks.

 

[gw_lit]

Southwest opened up a new terminal at Midway a couple of years ago. I've only connected there, so I can't comment on the landside (parking, check-in, etc.) But the airside is very nice.

 

[inkkognito]

Midway is very nice now, although it took me a while to get used to its new, large size after being used to the ancient micro-airport. They have a very good food court and interesting shops (steer clear of the caramel corn, no matter how good it smells, unless you want to gain 5 pounds instantly!). The restrooms are pretty large, and there are other fast food outlets scattered near the gates. We park at Midway Park Savers, a lot right across from the Orange Line train entrance, so we don't have to take a shuttle; we just walk right across to the airport. The shuttles to the airport-sanctioned offsite parking are a worse cattle call than SW by 200%.
Barb

 

[Lewisc]

Legacy airlines let you book your reservation almost a year in advance but your flight may change serveral times. SW only opens up bookings a few months in advance but rarely changes a flight.

Legacy airlines assign seats but you may lose your assigned seat if the flight changes. The better seats either go to passengers that book early or fly enough with the airline to have "elite" status. SW gives you the option to get the seat you want by getting an lower letter BP and getting to the gate early.

Legacy airlines used to provide meals but most of them have joined the LCC in eliminating meals from many of their flights.

Legacy airlines will charge you a change fee if you want to change your flight or even keep your flight but get a credit for a fare reduction. They will generally let you standby for a different flight the same day without paying an additional fare. SW has no change fees, will give you a full credit if the fare is reduced but will up charge your fare if you want to stand by.

SW doesn't offer video service. Some of the other airlines offer video.

Passengers who fly enough to have elite status with another airline and get perks like free upgrades to first class do better avoiding SW. The rest of us get reasonable fares and good service.

A few months ago people were complaining about high fares with SW and were booking charter airlines like USA3000 and Transmed. Now some of those people are scrambling to find flights on other airlines.

 

[keithomas]

Here's my 2 cents...

I live in Houston, so I have several flying options due to having two large airports. SW flies out of Hobby Airport which is closer to my house and easier for family/friends to drop-off and pick-up if I don't want to pay for parking. George Bush Intercontinental has more airlines and choices but is MUCH further from my house.

For me it usually boils down to two things in my choice between SW and Continental:
1) Obviously price, but that's normally not that large a difference
2) Does SW fly non-stop to my destination. If so, then they are usually my choice unless #1 is a factor. If it's not a non-stop flight, I'll pick Continental every time and pick my seats to avoid the cattle call at my transfer airport.

 

[gypsydoodlebug]

I have flown 18 times with SW over the past 1.5 years (yes, that's a YEAR AND A HALF) and earned three frequent flyer tickets. Of those, I have had only two late flights ––*once last week during Hurricane Rita when I evacuated Texas on a business trip, and once on the way to Austin, Texas (must be a Texas thing). On the other hand, the last TWO flights I've had on USAir (Dec. 04 and Aug. 05) we late by 2 hours and 3 hours, respectively.

I've only once been a "C", and that was flying standby on a flight from MDW to Louisville.

I find SW to be extremely reliable, easy to work with (especially booking and rebooking to save money online) and friendly. The particular brand of humor shown by flight attendants makes flying fun, and their relaxed atmosphere settles uneasy nerves.

DD2 just flew with DH and I to MCO in June ––*her first flight ever. She loved it, got her wings and we had no problems at all.

 

[CarolA]

I am a Delta elite flyer.

That said I would fly SW without reservation. They are ON Time which I see as a great advantage.

You have a much better shot at having a friendly crew and gate agent on SW.

I agree with Lewis on the seats and flights. I can't tell you how many times I have read on this board "my seatsl were changed" or "my flights were changed" When you buy a ticket on ANY airline you are not guranteed the seat of your choice...

 

[JDietz40]

We will be flying SW for the first time out of MDW in November and the "cattle call aspect bothered me until I realized how often we had assigned seats change on other carriers. Once a number of years ago when flying AA when DS was about 4 or 5 they changed the scheduled plane and we went from 3 seats together to one seat in front one in the middle and one at the rear of the plane even thogh we were there very early. We of course told them that it was not acceptable to have our child sit away from us and were greeted with a just deal with it attitude. Needless to say this was the last time we flew AA.



John

 

[Ms. Belle]

to be honost i did not like them because once the preboarders get on almost no room

 

[fwm]

What is the check in process like at Midway if you have to check bags. How much time should you allow (8:30 am Sat. flight).

 

[gypsydoodlebug]

I'd get there between 6:30 and 7 a.m. The SW lines tend to be long, but I've found security at MDW to move very quickly. You need to be at the gate at least 1/2 hour early.