I would like to travel Southwest from Ontario to San Francisco in February. They are running a $98 bargain fare. Anyone have good or bad experiences with this airline? Will I get bumped, even if I have a ticket all paid for?

I love SW. They are ALWAYS friendly and make the flight enjoyable. Hardly ever been delayed and never bumped. They have a lot of straight flights (sometimes have stops at other airports, but you dont have to switch planes). Plus they dont deal w/bonus miles, they give you a free flight for every eight round trip flights you take (it doesnt matter if you fly 50 miles or 500) and if you book online you will get double credit). I have already received three free flights in the past two and a half years. Definitely recommend this airline. The only complaints I have heard about SW (but doesnt bother me) is that they do not have assigned seating, the early you come the better choice you get. Booking online is so easy. Just go to www.iflyswa.com

I like SW as well...I have never been bumped or even late, but they do have really crappy flight patterns...You probably will have to stop a bunch of times, but other than that they're golden. And really funny (wait until you hear the safety speach)

SW have service and attitude that the other airlines can only dream about.

We have traveled on Southwest several times (often with our children) and have absolutely no complaints. If you are particular about a seat, window v.aisle, you do want to arrive at the gate at least one hour before departure time. The time to stand at the counter is immediately after the first person has lined up. The line grows very long and quite quickly as soon as people realize a line has started.

The other nice feature about this airline is that there is no change fee if you need to make a switch. You are only responsible for the difference in the actual price of the fare.

One other tip, book as soon as you see the bargain fare you like. They offer such great deals that they will sell out fast.

Have a good trip.

Julie

Hi Karen --- I agree with all the other posts about Southwest Air. Since they have no assigned seating, they are sometimes called the 'cattle call' airline, but I wouldn't hesitate to fly them again. Your 'seat assignment' is based on a numbering system from lowest to highest (low numbers board first)...once on board, you sit wherever you want. SW doesn't have 'first class','business class', 'coach', etc seating sections. If you have a high number and are not flying alone, you may not be able to sit next to the person(s) you're travelling with unless someone (already seated) is willing to move. If that bothers you, either get to the airport early (so you get a low number), or fly another airline. Their fares are hard to beat, and the flights I've taken have never been seriously delayed. Maybe you'll get lucky and fly on one of their 'Shamu' planes...yes, that's right, the plane is painted to look like the whale Shamu!!

Enjoy your trip.
Debbie

Hi Karen --- I agree with all the other posts about Southwest Air. Since they have no assigned seating, they are sometimes called the 'cattle call' airline, but I wouldn't hesitate to fly them again. Your 'seat assignment' is based on a numbering system from lowest to highest (low numbers board first)...once on board, you sit wherever you want. SW doesn't have 'first class','business class', 'coach', etc seating sections. If you have a high number and are not flying alone, you may not be able to sit next to the person(s) you're travelling with unless someone (already seated) is willing to move. If that bothers you, either get to the airport early (so you get a low number), or fly another airline. Their fares are hard to beat, and the flights I've taken have never been seriously delayed. Maybe you'll get lucky and fly on one of their 'Shamu' planes...yes, that's right, the plane is painted to look like the whale Shamu!!

Enjoy your trip.
Debbie

I will also cast my vote for Southwest. My wife and I are frequent fliers on SW. We fly at least a couple times a month from: San Diego-San Jose, San Jose-Las Vegas, and San Diego-Las Vegas. Their customer service is second to none. The only downside is the open seating. Make sure that you are there 1 hour before flight time. Don't arrive too early as they don't start issueing boarding passes until one hour before the flight. They board in groups of 30 according to the number on your boarding pass. If you are in the first 2 groups, you should have no problem with finding a suitable seat. Other than the "open seating", SW is great and does their job very well.