Robinsen - I totally understand your frustration with USAirways. But even so, I think I'm with Dan in hoping they don't cease to exist entirely. It is a great treat to be able to fly non-stop to so many different places from here - in the US, Caribbean and a few in Europe. (Hopefully, someday I will actually take advantage of that!) It's just USAir's prices are so high, and it's getting increasingly more difficult to take advantage of the benefits of using one exclusive airline, such as cashing in on FF miles.

Reasonable fares, perhaps, but also no nonstops except to places like Providence, Islip and Houston Hobby.

Again, look at St. Louis. The people there would probably love to have TWA's flight options right now.

Karens, you should try USAirways to Europe if you get the chance. Good planes, good service and I like that Philadelphia int'l terminal very much!

I really like Southwest and fly them often. They control about 40% of the market at my local airport (New Orleans) and are finally giving us more nonstops to places like San Diego, Lauderdale, etc. But even then, it's one a day.

I'd hate to pay higher fares, of course, but I'd love to have the choice of frequent nonstops to Kansas City, Seattle, etc. My friends in Memphis (a NW hub) have this but pay more for it. Of course, they can be in Seattle in 3.5 hours whereas it takes me 6 or so because I must make connections.


No easy answer, huh?

Last time we flew with SWA, we checked bags at the curb and we got our boarding passes at that time so we did not have to be at the gate 1 hour before boarding. This was in San Jose. I am not sure about other airports, but at SJC they have gone from the plastic boarding passes that they retrieve when you board the plane to paper boarding passes.

Betsy......I was on the fone with SW a bit ago...they have no "clue" as to when the flight schedule will be posted..."anyday" is what she said...

Your experience is identical to mine, BB. I've phoned a couple of times. At least they're consistent in their cluelessness!

Southwest runs the risk of becoming the Wal-Mart of airlines; eliminating competition and forcing people to be at the mercy of a generic, frustrating entity.

I think Southwest is fine, but I avoid them when I can and would be forced to have to rely on them for all of my travel. While efficient, it is merely a step up from riding on Greyhound. A few episodes of watching "Airline" reinforces that while they understand customer service, they also appear to do everything on the cheap by herding passengers like children or livestock.

There are things in life that I am willing to pay more for, such as a fine restaurant, or a luxury hotel. Unfortunately (or fortunately, for SWA), air travel is not one of them. My goal is to get somewhere as quickly as possible, with minimum hassle, and not spend too much money to do it. SWA's planes are usually on time, their staff is friendly and professional, and they have never lost my luggage. Their frequent flyer program is also easy to use. Because of all these things, I love to fly SWA, and once the Wright Amendment is repealed, I'll fly them even more!

SW schedule for Philadelphia is on their site now. I'm going from San Jose to Philadelphia for $99 each way in May. Happy travels.

Southwest will be extremely accomodating. I agree with all the things I've read here so far -- get there early in order to get an "A" pass. Pre-board if your kids are young enough. Get a doc's note for any special needs.

I was most intrigued when i was recently on a flight to Dallas that had 8 wheelchair customers aboard. Preboarding took forever. Then we all boarded later, of course. Unfortunately, there was something wrong with the plane and we all had to de-plane. That was interesting because we all had to walk down the jetway crowded with 8 extra wheelchairs. They got a different plane in short order, but we went through the whole procedure all over again. I was very impressed with the way Southwest and all the passengers handled this.

Until very recently, you cannot check-in at home, and print your boarding pass. That was a major drag if you have a connection. After your first leg, you need to stand in line again for the boarding pass on the next leg. And if your first plane arrives late, you have no chance of getting an "A" or "B" boarding pass.

That really sucked say if your second leg was a long cross-country trip, and you're stuck in a middle seat. Trust me, that could happen.

Fortunately, that was a thing in the past, finally, at least for those with internet at home.

You can check in at home on the internet if you are a single passenger. I usually fly with my husband, since our travel is leisure. I suppose you could buy two separate tickets....that's a thought!

Does the internet boarding pass specify A/B/C status? That'd be great!

Their website says that you can on-line check-in beginning 12:01 a.m. the day of your flight and receive a boarding pass. Since they have been issuing the boarding pass with A, B, or C for a while now, I think it is safe to assume that your boarding pass will have the designation printed on it.
Too bad they didn't announce this on-line check-in back when my husband and I purchased our tickets for Phoenix this March. They are considered multi-passenger because they are together on one reservation. We don't qualify to check-in on-line.