Does Southwest overbook and does it feed you anything?
 

I am trying to decide which airline to fly on to Arizona in March, and the best price I have found through my travel agent is with Southwest. I have a couple of concerns, though. Does the company overbook more than others? My friend in AZ says they overbook all the time and he won't fly with them. I am also concerned about whether I will be fed on the flight or if I will just get a bag of pretzels. I went to SkyTrax's website and they gave Southwest 3 stars (average) and American 4 (better), partly because American feeds you better and they have better onboard entertainment. I would like to make sure what airline is the best for the trip -- I'd take Midwest Express except they are more pricey than I can handle for a 2-week trip. Any suggestions would be most welcome. Thanks!

Christiana, Soutwest will feed you a bag of pretzels and soda. American will feed you about the same unless you fly cross country during meal times. These only thing is, Southwest has a cattle call before boarding and you'll be scrounging for a seat like on a bus. The only on board entertainment on Southwest is watching other people and wondering why you ever flew Southwest to begin with.

So, basically I should go with a slightly more expensive airline even if it's got a stop or I have to connect before my final destination? The only reasons I was considering Southwest was their low pricing ($238 inc. ticket fee) and the fact that they're the only direct flight besides America West which would cost $278 (inc. ticket fee). My friend recommends Delta, but I didn't see any flights which would have me return earlier than 5 past midnight and as I would be picked up at the airport, I'm not sure I want to make my ride get me that late at night. Is Continental usually a good bet for pricing and quality? Again, should I try to find a good price for a one-stop but not connecting flight? Thanks.

Too many decisions,woman!! Too many concerns.What is important to you?Sounds to me like you are trying to please way too many people.Make a decision, and stick with it.Personally I fly Soutwhest whenever I can.Jason is RIGHT--it is a bus with wings.But the frequent flyer program is tops---4 roundtrips and I have a free ticket ANYWHERE they go!! I fly LA to Vegas that much a month.Then I can fly LA to Providence for nothing--coast to coast.Just what is importatnt to you cuz u r the traveller.

IMHO the most important factor in choosing a flight is direct vs non direct. Layovers are a PITA and there's always a chance you'll miss your connecting. That said, I'd pay more not to fly on SW just 'cause I hate that boarding cattle call. Hard to say how much ... probably $50. But that's just me!

I appreciate everyone's replies. I'm not trying to please anybody except myself, but I am trying to be courteous to those who will be picking me up/dropping me off at the airport. I am cost-conscious, but I want to be sure I have a seat and food for my cost! I don't fly frequently enough for the frequent-flier thing to help me. But, if you could suggest where to look for the times when there's food on Southwest... I'd be willing to try it again. :)

For the price difference you are talking about, you could easily buy something to eat on the plane. <BR><BR>Price is only one of the things I consider when flying -- departure time, arrival time and number of stops are important. It's a lot more hassle to change planes, and I hate to leave much before 7:30 AM (it's an hour drive to the local airport).<BR><BR>You don't mention where you are flying from -- for some short flights, it wouldn't make a difference which airline you were on, you may only get the basic beverage/snack service, and nothing for in-flight entertainment. And frankly, sometimes the meals that are offered aren't really worth eating...

Christiana, fly SW. It's non-stop, you'll save money and with that money, go buy yourself a nice meal before take-off. Just get there early so you can get a lower seat boarding pass so that you are not fighting for a seat. There. Problem solved. You're welcome.

Best thing to do is not worry about food - spend about 6 bucks or so and get yourself a good sandwhich. Do get in line early though - like when they open the gate an hour before the flight - and even before that the line will form. If you do that you will get a good seat - cattle rush and all. However if you are at the end of the line you do risk getting bumped.

Southwest does NOT serve meals.That shud alleviate yur concern about food.

A little more about Southwest's GREAT Freq Flyer program:<BR><BR>It takes 8 roundtrips to get a free flight on SW. Butif you make your reservations ONLINE they give you DOUBLE credit, so 4 round trips if all are made online.<BR><BR>Don't write off the program so fast, Christiana ... when you make 4 of those online-reserved trips to ANYWHERE that SW flies, you get a voucher for ANYWHERE they fly. And there are very few blackout dates. Other than those dates, if there's a seat, you can fly .. none of the quotas on free-flyers like other airlines have. For example, last year I flew ALB-BWI 4 times ($70 round trip each = $280 total) and I now could fly the trip you're going on free. It's cheaper for me to fly from AlbanyNY to DC for a weekend than to take a bus to NYC.<BR><BR>As far as meals go -- bring something you like onboard. No airline's food is worth looking forward to. I also think the flyers on SW are friendlier too, maybe only 'cause they're mostly leisure travelers going/returning a nice trip, than a miserable business trip. I've only seen SW overbook once, but you should be compensated if you get bumped. The boarding can be miserable - you're assigned 1 of 3 groups and they call one group at a time to board - no assigned seats. But if u arrive early you should be in the first group. I refer to the three groups not as A,B, &amp; C, but Window, Isle, and Middle.

&quot;Isle&quot; seat on an airplane?? Is there sand there too??

OK, &quot;Say it again&quot;, so it's &quot;aisle&quot;. What about it did you not understand. This &quot;ain't no&quot; English composition project being run here. What's YOUR contribution to the thread?

I thought American quit serving meals on national flights anyway. I like Southwest. They are more on time than a lot of other airlines.

If you are looking forward to airline food it is abundantly apparent you do not often fly.<BR>Southwest sells clean, safe transportation form point A to point B, perhaps with a stop along the way. The fact that they are the only airline making a profit says something about the value of what they sell. Many decry their boarding process, but I've never found the other &quot;assigned seat&quot; process to be much better. In fact, perhaps because SW flyers know the drill they just get on board and grab a seat, as opposed the morons who stand in the aisle for a few minutes fussing with bags then sit in the wrong place anyway. SW runs on the basis of quick turnarounds - their process is efficient. All seats arrive at the same tme, and so what if it takes an extra 5 minutes to get off the plane?

Zoomer, so what if the person flies often or does not? It is totally reasonable to expect a meal (and there is no reason why it cannot be a decent meal), when one is in a confined space after traveling an hour to the airport, to get there an hour early, to go through security, then fly for five hours, then maybe another hour to their hotel. It could easily be 7 or 8 hours and there are no option once your on the plane and it's not always so simple to grabe a satifying meal right before the flight (or maybe you don't travel enough to know that).

How much would you be willing to pay for a decent airline mean? What do you consider a decent airline meal? Does it have to be hot or cold? Does it have to be steak or will a hamburger do. I do not want to have to pay extra because people can't go a sort time without eating. If I want to eat on the plane, I buy myself a sandwhich. Or if it is an early flight, before the delis are open, I bring fruit. How about common sense instead of blaming the airlines.

Southwest serves drinks and peanuts/pretzels on all flights. If you have a non-stop segment longer than 2 hours, they'll also serve you a little packaged snack that typically includes some crackers, a little piece of cheese, maybe a beef jerky, a little bag of cookies, etc. Not really a meal, but I would rather eat that than most of the &quot;meals&quot; the other airlines serve.<BR><BR>If Southwest has a non-stop and the other airlines make you connect somewhere, I would pick Southwest. If you're going to have to make a connection somewhere no matter who you fly with, I would probably pick another airline. My only preference among the majors, if all other things are equal, is that I like American because they have more legroom in coach. I'm 6'3&quot;, so every inch counts, but most people who aren't tall don't seem to really care.<BR><BR>None of the airlines are going to serve you anything satisfactory to eat, so I wouldn't make that a consideration. As others have said, pack yourself a sandwich and an apple or something.<BR><BR>I see people involuntarily bumped on Southwest less than on other airlines, but it's pretty rare for somebody to be involuntarily bumped, anyway. Unless it's Christmas Eve or something, most of the time when an airline announces they're giving compensation to passengers who are willing to take the next flight, you have to be careful not to get trampled in the stampede of volunteers up to the counter.<BR><BR>Don't stress so much; it'll be okay no matter which airline you pick.

Incidentally, since it sounds like the other airline you're considering is American, let me paint you a picture of what your dining experience on American would be.<BR><BR>Unless you are on a really long flight, such as O'Hare to Saturn, they will probably give you a Bistro meal. As you walk down the jetbridge to board the plane, there's a cooler with 100 little bags in it. Take one. The content of the bag are such that, if you were served it at a restaurant on the ground, you would demand to speak to the manager, call the Better Business Bureau, and write a letter to your congressman.<BR><BR>The breakfast Bistro typically includes 1/2 oz. of yogurt, a bag of raisins, a green or brown banana, and a spork. The lunch/dinner bistro typically consists of 3 potato chips, more raisins, a Nilla Wafer, and a sandwich. The inflight entertainment is trying to figure out what kind of meat is in the sandwich. <BR><BR>Now that I think about it, I would probably rather have the packaged snack on Southwest (cheese, cracks, beef jerky, cookie) than the Bistro bag on American, just because nine times out of ten the Bistro sandwich is so unappetizing that you would be better off tearing off your own head and eating that.

This is why so many os us Americans are fat. Can't you be on a plane for a few hours and do not think about food? Bring a bottle water and chewing gum<BR>This will be a begining of a beautiful relationship with your diet. It's about time!

On one hand we all want cheap tickets, on the other we want service like in the 'old days'. Well folks, we can't have it both ways Let's face it, we demanded and are getting a 'Greyhound' type prices to fly across America and yet somehow we expect more. What was the last time Greyhound offered meals on it's buses? We get what we pay for. Today the first class on domestic majors is what in the old days would be coach, but at the same time coach in the old days cost just about what first class costs today. So if you want to have a meal served on the plane then I suggest you pay the price. And please don't start with &quot;it's not worth it&quot; argument, I know, I'm just stating a fact.

Christina, you are wrong. It is the quality and amount of food we eat. It is totally reasonable to desire a satisfactory meal over the course of 7 hours of flying and aiport time. And if someone is not looking forward to (or desiring to have) a decent meal, I question that they've every flown anywhere besides Des Moines and Cleveland. The airlines can provide good, gratifying meals in a 3 hours or less flight. But alas, passengers kept demanding Greyhound prices and now have Greyhound service. So pack your bologna sandwiches.

Interesting how things have changed a year after 9/11. It seems a lot of people are more concerned about kids on a plane than terrorists.

Gotta say that Chelsea caters way better meals than LSG or the others. LSG Skychefs are the ones who determined that folks are willing to pay for inflight meals separately.<BR>As far as bringing your own food on the plane, it's a good dea in theory as long as it is not messy and folks don't throw their trash on the floor or stuff it in the seat pocket.<BR>See &quot;Food Flights&quot; in Section D of this past weekend's USA Today.

Everyone, thanks for your helpful replies! I will definitely consider your good counsel when I pick the airline to book on. I don't fly as often as I might -- but I had decent food the last time I flew, in November (of course, it was overseas, but...). Incidentally, Christina, I *am* on a self-imposed diet -- mainly cutting out more sweets except for fruits -- but this diet does not require abstaining from lunch if it's lunchtime while I am flying. :)<BR><BR>I do have one more question, though -- opinions on booking online, through a travel agent, or with the airline directly? I can't figure out the best way to manage it -- I'd have to pay an agent a commission, but would they be able to help if there are any problems with the airline, or would it be better to get my tix through the airline directly and deal with them directly? Or, though I've never done this before, what do you all think about booking online?

Christiana,<BR>If you decide to go with Southwest, definitely book online through their own website. It's extremely easy to use with all of the flight times and pricing displayed for you to choose. That way you can see if taking an earlier or later flight will save you any money or perhaps for a few dollars more you can go non-stop. I've been booking air tickets online for years and never had a problem. If you find that you've made a mistake and purchased something you didn't intend to purchase, just call the airline within 24 hours and they will cancel your reservation and refund your money.

Southwest Airlines website is very user friendly.I book online for the double mileage credit as well as the overall convenience.But they will not &quot;refund&quot; a NonRefundable Ticket.NO airline will.With Southwest,you get a Credit equal to the total amount of airfare you paid,the credit being good for a year from the date of the original ticketin date.I have heard people say the received a &quot;refund&quot; when they called within 24 hours of making the transaction.But as it turned out,they in fact received the &quot;credit&quot;.As for TravelAgents,Southwest is one of the few airlines still paying commissions.Mine does not charge a TicketingFee for a Southwest ticket since he gets a commission from Southwest.

Craig,<BR><BR>I've received a actual refund (credit back to Amex card) from Southwest and Delta airlines in the past. Both transactions were online bookings and both times I called within 24 hours of the transaction. I've also confirmed (but never had a chance to test) with Northwest airlines that they will refund within 24 hours of booking. <BR><BR>You bring up a good point about the Southwest credit policy though. Southwest doesn't charge a change fee like the other major carriers (which can be up to $100 on a domestic ticket) so the full amount of any money you pay is always good for up to one year in case you change your mind. You can even use your credit to purchase a ticket for someone else. Another reason why I love Southwest.

Everyone, thank you for your comments. I have decided to go with America West instead of Southwest this time -- so can anyone tell what I might expect? If it helps to know this, I'll be traveling from Baltimore straight to Phoenix and back again.

Everyone, thank you for your comments. I have decided to go with America West instead of Southwest this time -- so can anyone tell what I might expect? If it helps to know this, I'll be traveling from Baltimore straight to Phoenix and back again. The times I have for flights are &quot;Snack&quot; times.

Christina, it's probably too late, but I would HIGHLY encourage everyone that if they have a choice between American West and Southwest to RUN, not walk, as fast as you can to Southwest.<BR><BR>Southwest is definitely unique among the carriers. I've flown everwhere on every airline for over 20 years and have more free tickets than I could ever use. I personally think that Southwest is, hands down, the best airline to fly. You just have to understand what you are getting and get someone to explain the boarding process to you. The MOST important thing is that Southwest has NEVER had a serious accident and that their employees love the company. There is no food service and my attitude toward that is SO WHAT? The last thing I want is airline food. Just plan your trip and take and nice snack onboard with you.<BR><BR>Boarding is a snap if you understand it. They assign you to four classes: A B C &amp; D by the time you check in. Just make sure you're at the airport a little early and check in as soon as possible. You should be in the first two classes; A or B. You then have to line up by letter. Try to be in the first part of the line. If you're a B holder, don't worry....there's plenty of seats. Everyone worries about getting a seat in the front, etc., but if you can make sure you're in the B class, you'll get the pick of a very nice seat. After that, sit back, relax and know that you're flying a fabulous, safe airline!!!