<p>Southwest doesn’t have student fares, but they do have a student RapidRewards account that, I think, offers double credits for flights flown. I paid a bit more on Southwest this year than I might have paid on another airline to get him home for Thanksgiving. However, I am sure they’ll get him there, barring blizzard. </p>
<p>Last year, we took a somewhat cheaper ticket (he has to have a connection to get home) on another airline. For no known reason (plane was there, no weather issues on either end, flight crew was there), his first leg left late and he missed his connection. Kid is now stuck in Chicago, and other airline says they can’t get him to his destination until the next evening (this is Thanksgiving Sunday afternoon & he needs to be back for classes on Monday) but they can send him to a city an hour away. </p>
<p>We’re trying to deal with this on the phone in the car (on our way home from the airport) where I didn’t have internet access to check anything. However, I figured on that particular day, no one would have much availability, so I told him to take it. Then he ended up having to take the bus to the bus station, wait several hours, take the bus one hour to his destination, and then a taxi to his dorm because it was after midnight. </p>
<p>I swore never again. If there’s an issue with a flight, SW tells you what it is, clearly, honestly and often. If you miss connection, they often already have you rebooked on the next flight so you don’t have do stand in line waiting for an unconcerned airline agent to maybe find you something getting your from Chicago to Washington via LA. And I have never seen a rude SW employee, no matter how irate or demanding a customer might be.</p>