<p>In addition to everything mentioned above, the staff of SW is a complete delight compared to the folks we usually have to deal with, USAir. Don’t get me started on the latter’s customer service, if you can even call it that.</p>
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<p>I was mistaken, then. I’ll remember this for the future! :)</p>
<p>When Southwest started flying from Manchester, NH, which is fairly close to our home, to Baltimore/Washington (BWI)–my H started using SWA for business travel to DC. At that time, he was flying to BWI every week. After 6 months of flying SWA, he received a letter from the CEO of SWA thanking him for using the airline. Included in the letter were 2 tickets for a Boston Celtics game. Since that time (about 15 years ago) w’ve been loyal customers and try to use SWA whenever we can.</p>
<p>I like the ability to do early boarding for a fee. SW just seems to have their act together compared to other airlines that we’ve used.</p>
<p>On our last trip, daughter had damaged luggage and some missing clothes. She filled out a form, sent it to them and they sent her a check for the damages and lost items. It’s never fun to have to deal with that but they took care of it with a minimum of bother.</p>
<p>Thanks for all your comments. I’m going to try and hold out a little longer for a drop in price but am really leaning towards SW. Our trip will be Mid June so I’m hoping that there is still a little time for a price drop.</p>
<p>Glad to hear they will at east “credit” a price adjustment. May be a little difficult since I’ll be booking for 4 people but don’t know if all of us would use the credit for another flight. But something to think about.</p>
<p>My experience has been that while SW is rarely the cheapest option on the strict fare, the free bad policy does help a lot. Of course, some can find perks (with offers the Amex high end cards or by gaining a high frequent flyer status) that eliminate the extra costs. </p>
<p>In the PAST, SW also offered on the very best award program. The late booking for flights using coupons was spectacular, and the conversion from Amex (among others) was incredible. The recent changes have pretty much killed that golden goose, especially for people who accumulated many short segments and used the credits for long flights. </p>
<p>As far as the experience, I’d say that the adage YMMV is appropriate. In airports with many flights (think Dallas to Houston) the departure can be a zoo with rescheduled flights and delays as the SW people try to move the cattle and maximize the loads. It is entirely possible to depart later than expected on your full fare while the army that played the “rebook a flight game” grabbed the non-delayed flight. I consider the open seating a royal PITA, and the extra 10 dollars are worth to avoid the cattle herding. </p>
<p>SW is still a great choice, but that is mostly because the other airlines are so bad, and not because SW is wonderful.</p>
<p>LOVE Southwest! With the purchase of AirTran, their market will be expanding in the next year or so. Some SW history: I grew up on SW–we flew the Dallas - Houston route for $25 back in the day when flying was luxurious on other airlines. We said SW was better than taking the bus, but not significantly so when compared to other airlines. No assigned seats. Flight attendants and ticket agents wore hot pants. They just didn’t take themselves too seriously. Now, they offer ‘frills’ other airlines aren’t interested in.</p>
<p>I’m another SW fan. I think I like it more then Trader Joe’s and Costco! It’s our go to airline whenever we travel and I won’t use any other one in the winter because I want to feel free to change my plans if bad weather pops up. They have a pretty good app for the Iphone too!</p>
<p>No Celtics tickets for you, xiggi! :D</p>
<p>I’ll live! :)</p>
<p>…lol…</p>
<p>Check the routes. I do like SW and agree with everything positive that has been said – but routing between some cities can be odd. A trip that might take 3 hours with a direct flight on another airline might be 7 hours with multiple stops on SW, including stops that clearly take you off in the wrong direction to get where you are going. For example, the San Francisco to Seattle requires a stop & plane change in either Las Vegas or Phoenix, which turns a 2-hour flight into a 7 hour trek. There may be nearby, alternate airports that have better connections, but then you may have to factor in added time and transportation costs to get to and from the airports.</p>
<p>So I have to say that while SW often has the best prices and definitely has the best policies about making changes and free baggage allowance… unfortunately they do no always have the best routing. In winter months, more stops also often increase the risk of delays. </p>
<p>I do fly SW for certain destinations, but I participate in another airline’s frequent flyer program, and have saved much more money that way because of the large number of free flights I have taken. But I looked at the routes I was likely to travel frequently before making that choice. And I travel light – I’m fine with a carry-on for just about any domestic flight.</p>
<p>Another one grateful for SW - we often book way in advance for DS and then don’t worry about making changes. No extra baggage fees.
Also, DS is peanut allergic; they allow him to pre-board so he can wipe down the seats/seat belts, tray table and they do not serve peanuts on any flight he (or any peanut allergic people) are on. Huge relief.</p>
<p>calmom - I think SW starts out as a small regional carrier so they tend to have shorter routes, going to smaller airports. Their flights tend to be multiple hops because of that. Where my D goes to school, there is no direct flight anyway so their flights are not any more inconvenient than others. In the winter, I pay more for less stops, or any other city other than Midway, to minimize flight delays.</p>
<p>My husband’s last SW flight was detained on the tarmac for a couple of hours due to bad weather, not SW fault at all. The airline emailed him a $100 voucher for the inconvenience. Great customer service. They currently offer me 50K to open the Visa card for a $99 annual fee. It’s good enough for 2 round trips. I think I’ll take them up on it!</p>
<p>Agree with everything said above. I will drive up to four hours to avoid taking another airline. Love the baggage policy. Another thing is that they are very upfront when there is a delay. With weather delays elsewhere, things sometimes change on a minute to minute basis, and they are always clear about it. I fly SW 12-15 times a year. We have 3 SW credit cards, and have earned a free companion pass for H for the last 3 years, meaning he can go anywhere I go for free.</p>
<p>It’s true that fares, esp. last minute, are no longer the cheapest, but it you know way ahead of time what your travel plans are, they can be good. Also there’s no change fee, so I always buy early. I’ve also not been sure of my plans, so I bought two return tickets for different days, then cancelled the one I didn’t use and used the credit later.</p>
<p>The people are the best thing about SW. The flight attendants and gate agents and even check in staff are helpful and pleasant. That makes the passengers more pleasant, too.</p>
<p>I also just qualified for a higher level SW visa card that doesn’t have foreign transaction fees which will save us a mint on our next trip to Europe to visit family.</p>
<p>SW got the boarding process down to a science. Whether because of free baggage so less carry on, people just take first seats with no hesitance, less aisle clogging, they always pull out of the gates on time. Some people don’t like the no assigned seats policy but we appreciate their efficiency and minimum waiting time.</p>
<p>I have used Southwest many times, but they have currently not been servicing the flights I frequently take ( grrrrr ) Their prices are fair, the service is good with no hidden fees, which is good since my alternative is Spirit and they just plain stink all around…now even they aren’t available this time of year.
I don’t think you would be disappointed with Southwest</p>
<p>For pricing I’ve found the non-holiday sweet spot to be on the 6-8 week out time. But since you can rebook and save it’s not as big an issue.
We did have a credit expire though because it is passenger specific and DH does not travel as often as I do.</p>
<p>Other airlines’ pre-assigned seats are generally advantageous mainly to frequent flyer elites and a few early bookers. Those who are not frequent flyer elites may find that the seats available for pre-assignment are limited to the worst ones.</p>