Southwest Airlines: what's the catch?

[Cicero]

Apr 19, 2015 12:54:20 GMT -5 FormerlyRR said:

From the SWA website, here is the policy on boarding with children. So, it is still better to get A passes with kids. 

Family Boarding
An adult traveling with a child four years old or younger may board during Family Boarding, which occurs after the “A” group has boarded and before the “B” group begins boarding. If the child and the adult are both holding an “A” boarding pass, they should both board with the “A” boarding group.

Southwest flys 737s that seat like 125-175 people with the vast majority of them being in the just under 150-175 range. There are 50 people in group A. While it is always easier to get on first, mathematically there will still be multiple seats together if you do family boarding in between Groups A and B. Practically speaking the plane still looks relatively empty at that point. If your kid is under 5 and all you care about is sitting together there is no need to pay for priority boarding.

[babsbunny]

Apr 19, 2015 12:23:03 GMT -5 tillie said:

I may be the oddball here, but I hate SW and would pay the $1,500 to avoid them

Please provide some reasons for not liking them.  If they check any bags, it will cost more than $1500 to go with another airline. And if the other airline only has middle seats open for non-elites, they might get split up anyway.

I flew Southwest whenever possible in college, but couldn't when I moved to DFW because of the Wright Amendment, so I'm with AA and am barely keeping status, which keeps me loyal to AA so I can get the seats with extra legroom and board first (and upgrade to first class once a year).  I am extremely jealous of people that can take advantage of Southwest, like the free snacks (no snacks on AA), the free bags (no free bags on ANY other airline), the free changes to tickets, including simply getting a better deal (every other airline is $150+ per ticket to change, plus the difference in fare), the lack of sales pitches (EVERY US Air flight has a 5 minute credit card sales pitch), and the friendly flight attendants.

While every other airline has scaled back over the past 13 years (adding more seats to planes, less food, changing up loyalty programs, even US Air discontinued free soda for a few months!), Southwest has flourished and grown.  Alligent, Spirit, and Frontier have also grown, but they are the true no-frills, pay for every little thing airlines, attempting to capture business from people that might fly once a year or less. 

I realized I've flown AA and US Air too much domestically.  I was on a Delta flight this past year and nearly fainted when they offered me my choice of peanuts, pretzels, or cookies. 

[pattieice]

I flew SW in October with 2 kids under 5. I checked in 24 hours in advance and we were seated between the A and B groups. We got our seats together, no problem. I had a great experience and wouldn't hesitate to fly SW again.

[crashgizmo]

Since I have lived in AZ, CA, and NM, Southwest is pretty much the go to around here. I rarely fly anything else unless it's international or cross country. I love Southwest, especially the free checked bags and boarding process. I love the idea that I might get an empty seat next to me too. I would say it happens about 45% of the time.

I would (and have) moved seats so parents and kids can sit next to each other, so I don't think that would be an issue for you, especially since you said DH and you could split up and each take a kid.

[zitiqueen]

Apr 19, 2015 10:39:47 GMT -5 lime said:

If it is worth it to you to save the 1500, then do that.

I'm not disagreeing at all with that. Just realize it's very budget accommodations.

Allegiant is budget accommodations. Southwest doesn't charge for carry-ons, snacks, NA beverages, and checked bags. The seating situation is odd, I'll give you that, but there are other airlines that are way more budget and deserving of the Walmart tag than SW.

We love SW. I also have the Rapid Rewards credit card and use it exclusively. We haven't paid for our last three flights (aside from Early Bird seating, which I always buy).

[irishbride2]

I think southwest is great. And many of their flights have free shows and movies now.

We tend to fly southwest on purpose. THE HORROR!!!

[irene adler]

Now if only the southwest jackholes a would fly into my local airport.

[sunshinedaydreams]

I see a lot of people saying that you will be okay if you're in the A or B groups, and this has NOT been my experience for several flights.  One thing Southwest does is stopovers on flights, where the aircraft continues on and the people on board from the first flight don't get off.  We've had several instances where we've been getting on to a continuing flight, and even in the middle of the A group, there haven't been any seats next to one another anywhere on the flight.  It's not a big deal with just H and I, but it's something to keep in mind if you have to have at least two seats together for you and kids.  Make sure the airport you're flying in/out of isn't a stopover for a flight.

[Cicero]

Apr 19, 2015 15:11:00 GMT -5 sunshinedaydreams said:

I see a lot of people saying that you will be okay if you're in the A or B groups, and this has NOT been my experience for several flights.  One thing Southwest does is stopovers on flights, where the aircraft continues on and the people on board from the first flight don't get off.  We've had several instances where we've been getting on to a continuing flight, and even in the middle of the A group, there haven't been any seats next to one another anywhere on the flight.  It's not a big deal with just H and I, but it's something to keep in mind if you have to have at least two seats together for you and kids.  Make sure the airport you're flying in/out of isn't a stopover for a flight.

This is a really good point.

[msmerymac]

I HATE Southwest (having to elbow people to get a seat is nervewracking for me), but I would still fly them if it really meant saving $1500.

[aurora]

I will choose SW over most domestic carriers assuming similar schedules and prices. I really don't get the budget/Walmart comments. Aside from not having an assigned seat, there are fewer extra fees and the customer service is usually much better.

[zitiqueen]

I love their customer service. We just got back from our anniversary vacation to Las Vegas; when I booked the flight I used Rapid Reward points. I checked the flight again a few weeks later and the price/points had dropped. I called customer service and they refunded me the difference. They also do this if you pay cash, but the refund is in the form of a credit toward a future flight. And if you pay cash and buy Early Bird, you lose the Early Bird, no refund. That kind of sucks.

[AAM2012]

Apr 19, 2015 16:06:49 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

I HATE Southwest (having to elbow people to get a seat is nervewracking for me), but I would still fly them if it really meant saving $1500.

Huh?

You're assigned a letter (A,B or C) and a #. You line up by letter and # and get on.

This thread is confusing me.

[msmerymac]

Apr 19, 2015 16:38:14 GMT -5 AAM2012 said:

Apr 19, 2015 16:06:49 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

I HATE Southwest (having to elbow people to get a seat is nervewracking for me), but I would still fly them if it really meant saving $1500.

Huh?

You're assigned a letter (A,B or C) and a #. You line up by letter and # and get on.

This thread is confusing me.

Yeah, you're "assigned" by checking in online as close to 24 hours before the flight as possible. So you have to set a reminder to do that, because you're fucked if you are in C. And about 1/3 of the passengers are obviously in group C, and getting the middle seat only. 

And then once you get on, you have to make a bee line for whatever seat is available, and it's a PITA if you want to sit next to someone else, or have an accommodation issue (like working on a laptop during the flight, or being over 6 feet tall). It's a free-for-all.

Too stressful. Just assign me a damn seat. 

[LoveTrains]

It's definitely not my preferred airline. It's generally my last choice, because I also hate the anxiety of not having an assigned seat. I want to know where I'm going to be on the flight ahead of time, there is no in seat entertainment, etc.

However, H and I just booked flights on southwest to the west coast for this summer. There are no direct flights from the city pairs we are looking at and it had the best flight times without having to do a red eye.

[scout8]

I think that SW used to be a budget airline with fewer perks than some of the other airlines. Now that all the other airlines have done away with so much, SW now provides better service than most others. There aren't many (any?) other airlines where you will get snacks, free checked baggage, and no charge for changing your flight. I don't fly SW that much because the airport they fly out of is not that convenient for me, but when I have, I have never had any issues.

[madringal]

Apr 19, 2015 10:40:48 GMT -5 emilyinchile said:

Southwest doesn't give you an assigned seat. The earlier you check in, the closer to the front of the line you get to board (excepting people who may more for priority boarding upfront/are frequent fliers). Otherwise it's a great airline in my experience - friendly service and no major problems. I'd gladly fly them for the same price as many airlines, so in this case I wouldn't even hesitate to book with them.

This exactly!

[madringal]

Apr 19, 2015 14:22:22 GMT -5 irishbride2 said:

I think southwest is great. And many of their flights have free shows and movies now.

We tend to fly southwest on purpose. THE HORROR!!!

And their free WiFi is freaking amazing!!!!

[irishbride2]

Apr 19, 2015 19:14:03 GMT -5 madringal said:

Apr 19, 2015 14:22:22 GMT -5 irishbride2 said:

I think southwest is great. And many of their flights have free shows and movies now.

We tend to fly southwest on purpose. THE HORROR!!!

And their free WiFi is freaking amazing!!!!

And we save 100 bucks each way on bags. Glorious! And we can change with no fees. We often have to change our plans.

[gt7301b]

I love southwest, in fact, I am sitting at the airport waiting for my flight on Southwest right now.

I also just rebooked my next Southwest flight at a cheaper rate and now have a credit for the next flight I book with them.

[hilwithonelary]

I had no idea my post about Southwest Airlines would generate so many responses, especially on a Sunday. Thanks to everyone for the input! We'll definitely be flying with them this trip.

[alleinesein]

I only fly them if there are no other options. As for snacks- I have only been given snacks on one flight (SAN to MCI) so in my experience snacks are not the norm when I fly them. I can deal with them if I am flying to Vegas but thats about it.

[mellymel]

I love Southwest. The FAs are friendly and generally funny, the planes are usually newer (recently), the prices are good, and they have excellent customer service.

We recently all got the stomach flu when we were supposed to fly southwest to visit family for easter. We called southwest just hours before our flight (nonrefundable tix) and they gave us a full credit to cancel our flight and rebook before the end of the year.

I don't think I have ever had a bad experience with southwest. I can't say the same for any other airline I have flown (Delta, United, American, etc).

[Deleted]

It blows my mind that people would want to pay $1500 more to get in-flight entertainment and to know before they check in what seat they are in. Bring a book.

That's all I have to contribute. Southwest has never been an option for any trips I've taken, but I've only heard great things about them as a company. They are often held up as an example of a great way to be successful through treating your employees well and building a great employment culture. Sounds good to me!

[irishbride2]

The only reason I can see hating south west is if you only will sit in business.

[Mrs.Rad888]

Apparently my needs in air travel are pretty minimalist. I love SW because they usually have the lowest prices, and the free checked bags.
I'm fine with them just giving free NA drinks. Want a snack? Bring one. In-flight entertainment? Bring a book, download a movie to your Ipad, bring a crossword book.
All I ask of my flight is that they get me from where I'm at to where I'm going. Anything else is just icing on the cake, but I don't think any cake is worth $1500.

[RoxMonster]

I was not a huge fan of Southwest the one time we flew them ,but I think part of that was also the airport we had to fly out of (Midway vs O'Hare in Chicago. I absolutely hated flying out of Midway and SW doesn't fly out of O'Hare).

The second part of what I didn't care for about SW was that we paid for priority boarding, but still got early group B, not group A, and there were so many people that got to board before Group A, that we ended up at the very back of the plane in order to be able to sit two of us together at the time we boarded. It seemed like they gave people priority boarding (boarding before Group A) for really random reasons. We watched one woman walk up to the desk before our flight and say she needed to board early because she hurt her wrist (it was wrapped) and she had a hard time putting her bag up above, so they gave her an early boarding pass. She then proceeded to walk down the terminal with her bag in her wrapped hand and slung it over her shoulder with that same hand lol. And aren't there flight attendants that could help her put her bag up above if her hand was truly hurt, regardless of when she boarded?

I realize that may be an issue with the specific employees at this SW terminal (at SFO), but I just overall felt more cramped than flying Coach on other airlines and IMO the employees weren't any friendlier. HOWEVER, even having said all of this, I would still fly them to save $1500.

[starlily]

Apr 19, 2015 19:55:48 GMT -5 Catlawdy said:

I prefer Southwest over other airlines. We fly coach and don't have status on any airline, so all flying is no frills for us. We check in 24 hours ahead to get our place in line, and I think I've paid in the past for the priority boarding.

Their staff is nice and the planes land on time. That's a win for me, and well above and beyond most of the carriers out there.

Ditto, except I've never paid for priority boarding. I've used them more than any other airline during the last 13 years.

[egishere]

They are not the Walmart with wings! I love southwest. Friendly FAs and gate agents who seem to actually enjoy their jobs. The planes are clean and they don't nickel and dime you for everything unlike Fronteir which is a Walmart with wings! The no seat thing is not a big deal at all. Just check in at the 24 hr prior mark and you will be fine.

[mrshandy]

Southwest rocks! Free bags, nice people. Great airline. I did get charged for DS one time because I forgot his birth certificate (the only time I forgot and the only time I've been asked for it). But we bought him a ticket and then were able to get a refund later so it worked out pretty good really since we got a seat for free.