Southwest Airlines

DING

 

I haven't flown Southwest for years. But when I did, I could go see my friends in St. Louis for like $100, and I always got a window seat, never lost a bag.

 

Count me as one of the people who LOVE Southwest.

1. It's very easy to get a free flight. Book your hotel and car through southwest and it piles up like mad. Plus you still get Marriott points.

2. Everyone associated with the company is very nice and very personable, compared to most of the people at other lines who get paid twice as much as the folks at Southwest.

3. The seats are very big, compared to Northwest's and United's cubbyholes. You don't have to pay extra for "economy class" like United, either.

4. If you can't make your flight or need to cancel, they just apply your funds to a future trip. No penalty, no nothing.

5. Planes are usually always on time. Never lost a bag.

The only negatives are not that big of a deal to me. The cattle call isn't a problem as long as you're smart enough to get on top of things and get an 'A' pass (ever since they made it so you can check in via cellphone, you have no excuse not to get an 'A'). Flying to alternative airports (Midway instead of O'Hare, Providence instead of Logan) isn't usually a problem. And with books and an iPod, I don't need a radio or television.

 

I miss Texas International.

 

Just got off the ol' cattle call last night. It's really not that bad. You just have to accept what you're getting in exchange for the reduced rate, including the open seating, etc. Get yourself an 'A' pass and seating is no issue. Hell, I almost missed my flight yesterday, boarded at the end of 'B' and still ended up with a window in Row 5. And the legroom is relatively good.

As for the facing seats, that's only on the older planes. They have phased out most of that older part of the fleet, and I haven't had the staring-at-my-ugly-neighbor experience in about two years.

 

I forgot the convenience of canceling flights. I had to cancel one last year and you basically get store credit. Next time I had a flight, I just used that and it was fine. No penalty.

What other airline offers that?

 

"You just have to accept what you're getting in exchange for a reduced rate?"

Like the rest of the airlines are putting luxury cruises into the air. As I said before, I think Southwest is one of the most comfortable airlines out there, in terms of seat size and leg room.

You know what they could use though? Those things on the headrest that allow you to curl it up so you can rest your head on there.

 

It's not that I think the other airlines are giving you amenities that you just can't get elsewhere. There are some folks here who don't like the cattle call and prefer assigned seating, who wouldn't mind at least the option of TV or music on a mid-to-long haul flight, who occasionally offer food (although that pay-to-purchase thing is a joke), who would like to book a little farther in advance, etc. For all that Southwest has going for it, these things are seem to be traded for the lower fares.

 

I agree the three-month thing might be a hindrance to some. And if I didn't live at one of their main hubs, I might also have a problem.

It will also be interesting if the success of jetblue will lead to more amenities on the SW planes ... Would I like to have a personal TV set? Yes. Do I absolutely need to pay more for it? No.

 

I'm not a big fan because of the non-assigned seating, although I flew from Pittsburgh to Ft. Lauderdale (via Orlando) last year for vacation for $116 round trip. It was worth the inconvenience when I was paying for it. I did get an A ticket, although I just hated sitting in the cattle call row for close to an hour on the dirty floor. I finally figured out you could put your bag "in line" to save your spot, then you could sit on a chair. I did like the fact that my gate in Orlando was just across from where I landed.

When I fly for work however, I admit that I usually stick to USAir, Northwest or United as they fly non-stop to where I need to go.
Best part of Southwest is what they've done to airfaires for these folks.....much more competitive now.

 

It actually could be considered an antitrust issue if someone bothered to look closely. (And that person is not me) When Southwest announces its schedule farther than four months out, it wreaks havoc on other carriers attempting to charge premiums for their flights. Contacts within Southwest and American tell me it's a "gentleman's agreement." If you search for flights now on American, such as a trip to Vegas in late May, you see that those flights are fairly expensive. If you look at Vegas flight for late March on Southwest, they are considerably less. When Southwest realeses its May, June, July August schedule, you will see American's fares drastically reduce.