Southwest Airlines losing image as low-cost carrier
 

Today the Wall Sreet Journal reported that Southwest will charge $10 for priority boading to scratch out a profit. This comes after the company announced in May that it was charging $50 for a third or overweight piece of checked luggage and $75 for carrying a pet. Also, a charge of $25 would be made for an unaccompanied minor. And now, Southwest is charging $7 for WI-FI service. No mention has been made by the company about fees for boarding disabled or handicapped passengers early.. Are they going to be charged for fee for this service too? As a long term fan of Southwest Airlines, please SWA stop "nickel and dime-ing" your loyal customers. Southwest would be better off just adding a $5 fee to every ticket sold to uphold its image as a true discount airline. I hope most Fodorites would agree with me.

Do we get something for agreeing?

I don't understand what you are upset about. I'm not, in the least.

The first two checked bags on Southwest are still free - unlike domestic travel on any other US airline, right?

Still no change fees. How many other airlines do that? Any?

Still free snacks. Are other airlines still giving those out? (US Air wasn't in May when I flew them.)

$75 is a bargain for transporting a pet; I am disappointed that Southwest did not allow me to transport a cat in May on a direct flight (they changed their rules - because I wrote to them? LOL - to allow pets weeks after my trip). Instead, I had to take a US Air flight connecting in Phoenix and pay $100 for the cat (other airlines charge even more - Delta is $150 I think). Southwest still seems like a "low cost" carrier to me.

$7 for WiFi? What do you think the other airlines will be charging for this service? That sounds like a bargain to me. I'll be thrilled to be able to pay a few bucks to kill some time on a flight to check my email or do some work, even.

$10 for priority boarding - is that really going to break anyone's bank? I'm already very good at checking in early and getting in the "A" group - which pretty much guarantees me an aisle or window seat. Southwest business customers already board ahead of me. So a few more people get to board earlier and pay for it - big deal. As long as I get an aisle seat, I don't care at all.

I flew Southwest yesterday on a free ticket I got for a bump in May, using a voucher I could use online (some airlines STILL give you a paper voucher you either must mail in or must go to a ticket office/airport to use and then pay an extra free). My flight cost about $220 round trip from coast to coast and I still have about $100 left on my voucher.

I still love Southwest!

vjpblovesitaly on Sep 3, 09 at 05:11 PM
Do we get something for agreeing?

=D>

In some cases, SW is not the cheapest, and by not flying to all cities, not always the most convenient, but it's still the most reliable airline, and the only one I know that does not penalize the customers for changing flights, refunds money if there is a cheaper rate available, and does not charge for luggage.

What Andrew said. The pet and unaccompanied minor charges make perfect sense to me. Pets are not easy to transport, and unaccompanied minors usually result in more responsibilities for airline staff, so why shouldn't airlines be compensated a reasonable amount? The Wifi infrastructure has to be paid for somehow, and I'm fine with other people paying for it via fees if I'd rather read a book than check email on a flight.

Ten bucks for priority boarding - that is just a moneymaking scheme. But if people want to get an aisle seat that badly, more power to 'em. It's not an insane amount of money to charge for it.

As far as baggage, I do think the cost of one checked item should be included with any plane ticket. But charging for a <i>third</i> suitcase? Or one that's overweight, resulting in potential danger for airport/airline staff? Fine by me.

Last time I flew Southwest, the employees seemed to generally like their jobs and everything went smoothly. It was an overall pleasant experience. That's more than I can say about other trips I've taken. I look forward to flying with them next weekend (for $98 round trip plus taxes, and not paying for any of those "nickel-and-dimed" fees).

Andrew, I am still a big booster of SWA because of its low fares, free baggage policy, and complimentary snacks, but I think returning wounded veterans returning from the Middle East, seriously handicapped people, and seniors should be boarded early and FREE before those willing to pay $10 for preferential seat treatment. I am not upset with SWA but a slight boost in fares, in my opinion, would be more palatable than a series of new charges for services, some of which are free now.

Hlfstra-As far as I know Southwest will continue to pre-board the elderly or disabled. They did not say they were discontinuing this policy. The $10 fee would just affect the groups that board after pre-boarding and the Business Elite.

<<<The $10 fee would just affect the groups that board after pre-boarding and the Business Elite.>>>

Actually I think the others board after pre-boarding, and Business Elite, and other Group A boarding pass holders.

I don't mind these optional charges. If you don't want Wi-Fi in flight, don't get it. No problem for me. SWA is still my favorite because of their no-penalty change policies.

Thanks to all who joined in this discussion about Southwest. Whether you agreed with me or not, I appreciated the views expressed and most were very informative.

Southwest has lost their image of low-cost airlines with ME because they are the most expensive on the route I fly most routinely, san to slc. Delta and Jet blue routinely beat their prices. That being said, I usually pay the extra and book with southwest because of their incomparable no penalty for changing plans policy!....and all the variations that go with it, like if you find a lower fare later, you can rebook and save that money.

I don't think the wifi is a new fee.... and I am happy to pay the $7 to be productive in passing the time, or not! ;)

all the other fees are still competitive with the other airlines and I don't incur them anyway.... I travel light and I usually get A group by checking in online.

I am flying Southwest for the FIRST time tomorrow, and it is the cheapest airline ticket I've bought in my lifetime, or at least the past 20+ years. We printed our boarding passes this morning..."A" group and good to go.

The opportunity came up for another trip next month to a different destination that SW also flies to and that one is even cheaper! Low-cost? You betcha...they'd have to add on a lot of fees to come close to being more expensive than anyone else, for these two trips anyway.

If my experience this weekend changes my impression, I'll be back to eat my words!

Scenario 1: Let's say (hypothetically) I'm flying from SFO to PHL, changing planes in DEN. If I want priority seating, do I fork over $10 on each leg, ie, at SFO and DEN, and on the return PHL and DEN, for a total of $40?

Scenario 2: Same route, but I don't change planes at DEN, I'm able to stay on the same plane. Is my total for priority seating then $10 each way, for a total of $20?

Scenario 3: Hypothetically, if I booked in July and my flights are in late September/early October, do I have to pay a priority seating fee at all?

I don't have any idea how this will work exactly, but I'm fairly sure it will be $10 for each booked flight (so SFO-PHL is one flight, whether you have one stop, two stops, zero stops or changes). Doesn't see feasible that the would charge an extra $10 per plane. I'm guessing the WiFi will work the same way: if you pay $7 for WiFi, you get to use it on all the flights you are on that day, not just one plane. If you have two changes, who will want to pay $21 for it?

And it's priority BOARDING not priority SEATING. Southwest has no reserved or special seating. The people who get on first are supposed to have first crack at the best seats, even exit rows. Of course, if you are boarding a Southwest flight that already has passengers on it from the previous airport, the best seats may already be taken by the people already on board - and you may not get any better seats (relatively speaking) than the people boarding right behind you who didn't pay the priority boarding fee.

I love Southwest. It serves my home airport and takes me to most of the places I want to go, often non-stop with many flights to choose from.

I use my Southwest VISA card for all my purchases and get free tickets frequently.

I don't want to pay more for a ticket to cover the charges for [special] services provided to others, I want to pay for what I actually use. I don't take 3 suitcases, or overweight ones, I don't take a pet. I am not an unaccompanied minor. IF I want to use wifi on the plane, I will be happy to pay for it, if not, I don't want to subsidize someone who does want to use it.

I love the easy way to change a flight, get a credit than anyone can use.

I love the way that [for all the flights I had to make for my medical treatments] I was treated with care and concern and was always preboarded, even when it didn't look like I needed it.

I don't need to pay $10 for priority boarding, I just need to get online 24 hours ahead of flight and get my boarding pass. I love the lettered and now numbered pass that eliminates most of the previous boarding concerns.

Southwest is #1 in my book.

Deb

Another thing I have loved about Southwest is if there is a delay in taking off they tell you the reason why. At least that has been my experiences. Unlike Alaska and United that tell you nothing or make up stories that turn out not to be true.