<p>Southwest is just starting operations in our city. We are taking a vacation with the whole family in december and it would be about $15 per person cheaper to use Southwest (and the times are better).
But I am getting all sorts of Southwest horror stories, none of them first hand though.
Is the lack of assigned seating really bad?
Now they have a early check in for $10. Is this something that should be purchased?</p>
<p>I like Southwest just fine. They may be the only airline that still offers a snack without charging–100 Calorie packs and other snack items of similar size–others might give you a tiny bag of pretzels or peanuts. They also still allow 2 bags with no extra charge for the second. I wouldn’t pay extra for early check-in, but that explains why I’ve gotten an A32 when I was poised over the computer keys to check-in at exactly 24 hours prior.</p>
<p>Seats are not assigned, but rather spots in line are assigned A1-60, B1-60 and C1-60 (I guess…never been a C). Passengers line up by letter, and then by number, and board in that order choosing whatever available seat they want. You do have to check in 24 hours before your flight to assure you’ll get the seats you want, but if you manage to get an A you’ll likely all be together. Getting a B1-30 may even work. The closer it gets to flight time, the higher the liklihood of getting a high number and a bad seat. It can be a little tricky to check in on the way home if you don’t travel with a computer, but if you can find one to use, it’s a snap. You don’t even have to print the boarding pass if that’s any trouble as you can do that at the airport.</p>
<p>HUGE fan of Southwest here! Their people have such a great sense of humor–don’t take themselves too seriously, etc. The lack of assigned seating isn’t a big deal. You board as a group, so the sooner you check in, the sooner you get to board the plane. Not familiar with their early check-in plan, must be new. Their on-time rates are among the best and they are one of the few airlines that actually makes money.</p>
<p>I grew up on Southwest–flew from Dallas to Houston for $25 on many occasions. We used to say SW beat Greyhound, but it was a close game!! I seriously wouldn’t hesitate to give them a try~</p>
<p>Another Southwest fan here - just benefited from their 2 free bags when bringing DS out to college. (4 massive bags!) The do have a family loading time right after the first batch of A 1-30 I believe, if your kids are younger. I also like their sense of humor in the cabin. Some of their tickets (perhaps the higher priced ones?) can be changed for no-penalty. I would definately recommend SW.</p>
<p>H and I are flying on Southwest TODAY - heading to D’s college to attend her concert. The airline has been great for us the past two years. D signed up under the “student” frequent flyer program and has already earned a free flight - although she doesn’t really fly that much (just Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring Break). </p>
<p>I use to not care for the airline when you were just assigned a letter boarding group. There was a “weird psychology” that went on in the boarding areas as to when to get up, not wait too long or you’d be in the back, etc. The new system that awards a letter AND a number is much better. You don’t have an exact seat, but you have a place. I try to be sitting at a computer exactly 24 hours before the flight time and always get between A25 - A45 boarding slots. I believe A1-25 are reserved for those who pay the early fee you spoke of. Often we find many of those A1-25 spaces ahead of us in line are empty, so you are in essence boarding first without paying the fee. I think that if you are in the A or B boarding groups, you would have a pick of seats you would be happy with.</p>
<p>Another SW fan here. Rates are generally always cheaper, no charge for bags. Agree regarding online check in ahead of time. Sign up for the frequent flyer plan right away.</p>
<p>I’m in a major airline market that DOES NOT have Southwest. You are so lucky! Both my recently college-graduated kids were in Southwest markets during their school years. And because of that, I became familiar with what I’d been missing.</p>
<p>Besides being very competitive on fare prices, there are 2 major reasons SWA is the way to fly:
- Being able to change flights and not be charged a penalty. I had to change a holiday-season ticket for S last year and was astonished to be able to still re-use the ticket funds up to a year later at NO CHARGE. As far as I know, it’s the only US airline that has this generous change-ticket policy. We’ve had to utilitize this benefit twice. Additionally, it’s such a relief to know that you have a little flexibility in your planning. Things do happen.
- Free bags. These days, checking 2 bags can add $50 to your travel costs. </p>
<p>I have never flown SWA to experience the personnel quality that many speak about. That’s another nice perk. D has complained a little about the seating problem, but she also didn’t make sure to do her online check-in early. Once you learn to make a point of it, I don’t see it as a big deal.</p>
<p>I can only hope that someday I’ll actually have Southwest in my own area.</p>
<p>Another huge Southwest fan here! As far as I can tell, they are the only airline that consistently treats passengers well. In spite of the minimal uncertainty about where I will sit, I prefer to fly Southwest over anyone else. The lining up thing is really no big deal - just try to check in as early as you can within the 24 hour window, to get a good spot in line. </p>
<p>I haven’t tried the $10 for early check-in yet, but DH just purchased it for an upcoming trip - the man does not deal well with uncertainty OR waiting in line ;)</p>
<p>Another Southwest fan. I really like that you can book oneway fares without being charged more, that bags are still free, & that you can change flights without penalty. In fact, last night I saw that the fare for a trip we’re taking in 2 weeks had gone down & was having trouble changing it online. So I called customer service & the rep took care of cancelling the original trip & stayed on with me while I rebooked to make sure I was able to use the credit from the flight he just cancelled. I’ve never had a problem with their customer service, which is not something that can be said about other companies.</p>
<p>Do agree with others that it’s very helpful to check in for flight 24 hrs in advance, but have never had any trouble doing so. The trip in 2 weeks will be the first since they allowed early check in so we’ll see how not paying for it works.</p>
<p>Horror stories? It’s the best airline out there and one of the top companies in the US, in my opinion. Most delays are weather-related or due to delays imposed by the particular airport. Southwest is a class operation. Make sure you do the 24 hour advance check-in- to the SECOND if possible.</p>
<p>Another HUGE fan of Southwest here! The lack of assigned seating is no big deal. The sooner you check in, the sooner you get to board the plane. And since you can check in 24 hours prior to flight (online) you can almost always get an “A” boarding group. I love the 2 bags checked in free and the no penalty for changing flights. Also, you can do a comparison shop of prices on their web page with a calendar showing you exactly which dates are better priced. Using Los Angeles Int’l to La Guardia as a search, here is the calendar I’m referring to:
[Southwest</a> Airlines - Select Travel Days(s)](<a href=“Southwest Low Fare Calendar | Southwest Airlines”>Southwest Low Fare Calendar | Southwest Airlines)</p>
<p>Oh one more thing…easiest airline to accumulate free travel out there and very few blackout dates.</p>
<p>They lost all of our bags on our Monday night flight, but had them delivered yesterday at 2:30pm. Out-of-town college son’s were to be sent by Fed Ex yesterday so I’m hoping he gets them today. That said, I’m willing to forgive them, as they do have many redeeming qualities.</p>
<p>Add another SW fan to the chorus. Yes, it’s a bit inconvenient to be poised over your keyboard exactly 24 hours in advance, but that’s the worst of it. Two bags free coupled with their generally lower fares, and it’s a winner. But, best of all is their refund policy. Need to switch your flight. No problem. No cost. Many times the cost of my flight has decreased after I’ve booked it, and I’ve always been able to get the credit into my SW account. You can use the credit not just for yourself, but can transfer it to anyone else to use within a year. Great service, and their staff has a great sense of humor. No grouchy flight attendants.</p>
<p>Another big fan of Southwest here. My H commuted between Manchester, NH where he worked and DC (Baltimore) where we lived (at the time) for a year. It only worked because of SWA and its reasonable rates. H was one of the first frequent fliers out of Manchester. Six months or so after he had been doing the commute, he received a letter from the CEO of SWA–the CEO thanked H for his continued support of the new route and included a pair of tickets to a Celtic game for H. Nice touch! </p>
<p>I have paid for the early check-in and thought it was worth $10 or whatever it costs. Also, I recently flew Air Tran and found that I had to pay for each piece of luggage. I upgraded to business class and didn’t have to pay for the luggage and got a bigger seat but I think I probably ended up paying more than if I just paid for the luggage. You don’t get any of that kind of hassle with Southwest. I also like that the website is really easy to use, rarely down, and booking online takes no time at all.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the reviews!
Booking our flights today.</p>
<p>I love Southwest too. It’s particularly nice to be able to change flights if needed without penalty. I have been known to pay a little more in able to fly Southwest if I think I might need to change a flight.</p>
<p>I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the LUV AIRLINE!!!</p>
<p>I love Southwest. I love the one-way tickets. Love the low fares.</p>
<p>Not crazy about the seating thing, however. When you’re traveling with others, it is hard to sit together. Also, even if you are online at the very second the seating opens, you can’t seem to get better than a “high A” because priority customers have taken the low numbers ahead of time. Also, I’ve seen people get rude, cutting in line, pushing on the plane. It brings out the worst in people, IMO. Also, aisles get clogged up with people putting bags up in front seats as others are trying to board. I don’t see how this is any faster than assigned seats, boarding from back of plane. It is confusing. I saw a lady who didn’t speak English and she thought the boarding number was her seat number. She kept insisting that someone else was in her seat. The flight attendant took her away and found another seat for her, but I think she was convinced that they allowed someone to take her seat because she was a foreigner. </p>
<p>Customer service: I’ve had to change plans a few times and they have been great on the phone–extremely helpful, polite, friendly. Prices can’t be beat most of the time.</p>
<p>Another huge fan of Southwest Airlines here. </p>
<p>Re: Open seating, yeah this worked a lot better when planes weren’t chronically full. It was a great feature years ago, but it slows down loading of full planes for sure.</p>
<p>Love Southwest, and don’t mind driving the hour to Buffalo just to take their flights. They are the absolute BEST at accomodating my disabled mother, making sure she gets the right seat and is perfectly comfortable before they let anyone else on the plane.</p>
<p>I miss the Airline show they had on TV…</p>