Is Southwest Airlines a good airlines?
Is Southwest Airlines safe?
They are cheap.
What kind of people fly Southwest airlines?

I like SWA in terms of safety, and overall on-time performance, but I don't like it as much for business as pleasure trips. It is the Carnival Cruise line of airlines. Looser, sillier, more fun if you're an extravert. If you have a long way to go, there are usually at least 2-3 stops. There are no seat assignments, just every person for himself. You get a lot of children and families, many fewer business travelers, compared to other airlines. You will never get a meal on SWA. (But it's been a while since I've gotten a meal from any other carrier.) Also, SWA will not transfer baggage between itself and other lines.

It is what it is. Southwest is an inexpensive, no frills carrier who gets the job done. Their on time record is pretty good and on some flights you will find an entertaining crew. And their stock is worth a whole lot more than United (16.29 per share vs UAL at .85) They must be doing something right.

I utilize them to book my bosses travel because of their schedules and he realizes that it gets him there and back without too much trouble.

You will get an array of opinions of who flys Southwest because of their good fares, and yes there will be small children on the plane, but within California I see a lot of business people utilizing them.

Their online booking is one of the easiest and upfront that I have used. Chances are if you are used to flying on a private learjet you wouldn't like them, but they get you there.

We have used Southwest Airlines many times, hopping from New Hampshire to DC. Their prices are always great, the planes are all newer 737s, and their whole ticketing and online process is very efficient. No first class, no reserved seats.

I think Southwest is great. Have never had a problem with them. I always get to the airport early enough to get in one of the first groups to board the plane so I have always gotten either an aisle or window seat. Also, they don't charge a penalty for changes on nonrefundable tickets, so if you have to cancel, you can rebook and just pay the fare difference. With the other airlines "use it or lose it" policies, I think Southwest is the way to go if they are flying where you are going.

Southwest and Jet Blue are the only 2 airlines actually making a profit. I would fly them before United anyday.

Getting on a Southwest Airlines flight is like boarding the subway. They treat you like cattle. Once onboard, you will be surrounded by screaming children, twine-wrapped boxes, and smelly people who are on the second or third leg of their three-stop cross-country trip and have only had peanuts and beer all day.

Other than that, it is a reliable and fairly-priced operation.

SWA is fine if your main objective is to save a few dollars. However, be aware that their boarding procedure is primitive, with people lining up at the gate as much as an hour before departure time to try to avoid getting stuck in a middle seat. The planes often tend to be dirty because they don't clean them in between flights due to the short turn-around. You will also get a more bothersome sort of passenger because, as others have said, most are leisure travelers looking to have a conversation rather than business travelers.

I read an article in the paper this morning regarding United and it said that United is going to be cutting more service to travelers. They all treat you like cattle, some worse than others. Southwest however has a better on time record and better fares plus it is in the BLACK. Must be doing something right. And I personally have never had any of their employees be rude. Southwest is great for short hops, 2 hours or less.

Frankly SWA is in the black because of its basic strategies. They only fly short routes between heavily trafficked destinations. They use only one kind of plane, so, only one kind of plane to train the crew on and easy interchangeability of available parts really lowers overhead. Obviously, no food, and no catering to load on reduce turnaround time at airports. More full flights, in the air more often than other airlines, means the cost per seat per trip is, if even pennies lower, a huge difference over the course of a travel day or year.

I'm not a big Jetblue aficianado, yet. As opposed to SWA, they are still a startup, and am not yet convinced of the viability over an extended period of time.

I am a big fan of SWA. I thought it was interesting that someone would fly them for pleasure but not business. So if you are spending your own money, SWA is fine, but if it's the company's money, splurge
SWA helps keep the other big airlines honest. Whenever they have opened a new route, no matter how many other airlines were already flying that route, the prices for the other airlines dropped drastically for that route. If you want to have low fares, we need to keep airlines like SWA in business by flying them. I wouldn't hesitate to fly them, although I prefer non-stops and you can't always get one from them. Instead of subjecting yourself to airline food, grab a Subway sandwich on the way to the airport and fly SWA and save money too!

I was a loyal SWA regular for fifteen years. They lost all my respect and any loyalty I had to them when they stopped serving honey roast peanuts.

They used to rotate the honey roast and salt roast every six months. That is now done, just salt roast, served with neon cheese dolphin crackers or some crap like that.

I want the honey roast back. Is it really worth the money to get rid of the honey roast? Could the honey roast be THAT more expensive than salt roast, or than neon cheese dolphins?

What gives?!@?

B-
Honey-roast are not cost effective.And cost is what its all about.SWA has the lowest cost per seat mile of any commerical US airline--$0.0765 as opposed to the cpsm for UnitedAirlines at $0.1183,according to CNN.

I love Southwest - I even own a tiny bit of their stock (not enough for an expensive vacation though). Unfortunately I haven't had the chance to fly them lately. They do not fly close enough to where I need them to fly back east - Baltimore is as close as they get (I can take Amtrak to my final destination, did it once, but that's kind of a pain).

Southwest's Portland to Baltimore flight is fairly good - only one change in Kansas City, not two or three stops. That's as good as just about any other airline going across the country.

And, Southwest's one-way walkup fares are very cheap: $299 maximum per person on any route they fly. How many other airlines could you walk up to the counter without a reservation and fly at the last minute for that cheap?

Plus their "no change fee" rule is terrific.

On the downside, their frequent flyer program isn't really so hot unless you truly are a "frequent flyer" (numerous times a year). Miles accumulated on other airlines don't expire for years if ever, while on Southwest the "flight credit" you get expires in only a year. I do find the other airlines' mileage programs useful, so this is a drawback.

Andrew

Fred, I was wondering what happened to you after being fired as the head football coach at UT. I now see you're placing troll postings on the internet. Good job!

Bubba, your name belies your astute and incisive powers of observation.
This was simply a troll post, along with amny others today posing the same old questions people seem to ask here over and over and over. And you're the only one who even noticed.
Hook 'em horns, bubba (or, go hawgs or whatever).

Yes it is a good airline. Yes they are safe, when was the last time you heard of a fatal Southwest accident? They are cheap because they get your butt where it needs to be without the extra cost of feeding and entertaining you. Their ticketless reservation system also keeps their operative costs low. All kinds of people fly WN, leisure and increasingly more business passengers. If you are really fat and your ass cannot reasonably fit your seat without encroaching upon your neighbors, WN will make you purchase a second seat for that other cheek if there are no other unoccupied seats available. That's my kind of airline.

"If you are really fat WN will make you purchase a second seat for that other cheek if there are no other unoccupied seats available. That's my kind of airline".

Kimmi, don't you think it would be easier if you just went on a diet instead of paying the extra money for a second seat?
You'll live longer too if you slim down some, dear.
All that cellulite is so unattractive to the rest of us.

Richard, I can comfortably fit in a coach seat that is 17 inches wide and still have room to keep my purse beside me, however that does not mean I should have to share it with someone that needs a seat and a half. If the plane is not sold out then anyone that needs the extra half seat should have it for free. I'm not talking about people who need to shed 20lbs, I'm talking about someone who is a size 56. Someday you may be sandwiched between 2 big people on a sold out flight. Good luck trying to escape to the bathroom.

John, since I'm self-employed, it's all my money whether for business or pleasure. I guess the tax-deductible part of the business expense does make a more expensive carrier less painful, though.

I tend to go for other carriers for business because I have to drive 3.5 hours to an airport serviced by SWA, versus 30 minutes for United. I can't justify the extra time involved when I'm traveling alone on business, but I don't mind it if I'm on vacation with my family of four.

I also assume that on SWA I'm less likely to get anything done while on the plane, and that the same trip may take longer because of extra stops involved.

By the way, I started flying SWA in 1978, when it cost $36 to fly round trip from college to my home town, even at the last minute. I know that as a college student, I used to irritate the business people. ; )