sueoz

We are considering a flight on Southwest which we have not done before. My husband usually wants a window seat because of motion sickness. Will that be a problem? Is it a problem to get seats together? Are we more squished?! Would appreciate any comments. Thanks.

Camille

sue, I have flown SW along with a very fussy husband. The major differce is no assigned seats but if you check in early enough- around an hour or so before flight, you get put into either A<B or C boarding group. I think as long as you are in A or B you would have No trouble getting seats together or window seat. My hubby is nuts and wants to be the first one on but that is not necessary although last time we lucked out and he got the seat near the emergency exit where there was no seat in front of him so he could stretch his legs all the way out. I like Southwest..I think it takes less time to board / Besides, I don't think it is any less service than the other airlines nowadays. Good luck

Beth

As a frequent flyer on Southwest, I can tell you the main differences ar no assigned seating and no food is served. The food thing used to be a big difference (Southwest was the no-frills airline while others severed meals and drinks) but since 9/11 many routes and carriers no longer serve meals anyway! Southwest flights to me are great because they have probably close to the best on-time record of any airline. The downer is the no assigned seating. For me, its not a big deal. I suually am flying alone or jsut me and my husband so we don't have to worry about getting 4 or more saets together. Some people arrive up to an hour and ahalf early for Southwests flights to get in line as they start giving out boarding passes an hour ahead of the flight. This is NOT necessary unless you want to be the first one on board. As for me I could care less if I am in the back row or the front row, though I do liek window seats. The only problem is you are allowed up to 2 carryons and if lots of people that get on first bring the maximum amount on and you board toward the end, there may not be rommfor your carry on(s) and they may have to be checked at the last minute which can be a bummer if you weren't planning to check any luggage. Though one great benefit of SWA is their GREAT frequent flyer program. For every 6 roundtrips you make you get a free one. Its not based on mileage at all. For example I could do 6 roundtrips Chicago to Detroit ( a very short flight) and then get a free roundtrip anywhere in the US and go to LA or NYC. Sometimes they even run specials that if you do 4 roundtrips in say 6 months, you get a free round trip. I guess you also kow that they are usually MUCH cheaper as well.

jbj

If you're flying them on a long-haul, make sure you ask how many stops the flight makes along the way. You could have 3 stops for instance, between Los Angeles and Baltimore. When you reserve, all they say is "its a direct flight that stops along the way but no change of planes."

Your husband will greatly appreciate it if you ask "Stops how many times along the way?"

Southwest also does not have agreements with other airlines to re-route you in the case of cancellations or delays. On Delta for instance, if you're scheduled to fly San Fran to Tampa with a change of planes in Chicago, and your flight out of San Fran is delayed so that you'll miss your connection in Chicago, Delta finds another way to get you to Tampa even if it means transferring you to another airline at no charge. You can demand this. On Southwest, if you get delayed you just have to wait for another Southwest flight which might even be the next day.

Rich

I love Southwest for short trips. Loading and unloading of passengers and baggage seems to go faster on Southwest than on any of the other major airlines. I have also found that, in general, Southwest employees from the ticket/gate agents to the flight attendants are friendlier and seem to be enjoying their jobs more than most other airline employees.

On longer flights they sometimes play games -- on flights to Vegas I have seen the flight attendants give out SW coupons to winners of trivia contests or contests along the lines of "I will give a $25 voucher to the person who has the oldest penny" or "the person who has the most keys on his/her keychain" or whatever. I've seen them do this in the gate area, too, on occasions when the flight was delayed. (Once I saw a very well-dressed and professional-looking businessman win a voucher for having the biggest hole in his sock!).

If it's just the two of you, you shouldn't have a problem getting seats together if you are in the first two boarding groups. I understand that SW has just changed the way they distribute boarding passes and it's supposed to result in passengers' spending less time standing in line, but I haven't flown them since they implemented it.

And as Beth pointed out, their FF program is great! Actually they've been offering bonus credits for booking online which means you get a free trip after only *four* round-trips. I used to fly back and forth between Raleigh-Durham and Nashville a lot and I really racked up the free trips. Just by making that short hop back and forth 4 times, I got a free trip that I used to go across the country to places like Vegas, Reno, California, etc.

I don't feel any more squashed on Southwest than on any other airline, with the exception of American which has more room in coach for all passengers. I think Southwest's squash factor is the same as Delta's, USAirways', Northwest's, etc.

JJ

Camille, I worry about a woman who describes her husband as "fussy." I'd get a trade in!

kam

SWA is terrific and just about the only airline we ever take out here on the West Coast. We even fly them down to LAX to connect to European carriers. I took them once from Midway in Chicago to San Jose---it was a very long flight and no food but peanuts! They serve a little more if it's a 4 hours nonstop, but mine was Chicago, St. Louis or KC (can't remember), Phoenix, SJC. And if it's a change of planes, you go back into the boarding lottery, meaning if you're late arriving you'll probably be in the C group. I wouldn't fly them from CA to New York, but for short trips they are fantastic. My funniest memory of SWA was on a particularly rough takeoff when the flight attendants started pitching peanuts down the aisle of the plane.It was too rough for them to get up. If you think you'll be hungry, pack a sandwich from home or buy McD's at the airport.

diane

My favorite SWA story is that we were served a little white packet of pretzels labeled FRILLS. On the back it said something like "Don't call us a no-frills airline!" Also, one time the flight attendants sang to us to thank us for flying with them.

xxx

I fly both airlines. What I like about Southwest is they allow you to board first with children under 5...Delta does not. If you book on Delta.com they will show you a seating map of your flight and you can choose your seats right there.

Jim

I agree that SW's policy of letting families with small children board first is a great idea. I don't have small kids, but this policy means that all the families with small kids are congregated in the first few rows and the rest of us can more easily avoid them!

Megan

I also frequently fly SWA and I love it! You don't have to get to the airport way early and they do get you on and off the plane quickly...no BS! It really is fun to fly with them! Just get there early enough so you can get in one of the first 2 boarding groups and you will definitely get seats together.

David

Sueoz,

Southwest is ok for shorthaul flights (<2 hours) I have flown them a few times from San Jose to Reno without any problems. Being that I am an American Airlines frequent flier, I definitely notice the lack of legroom in Southwest. American's more room throughout coach makes a huge difference. It is almost like being in first class.

The other reasons I would not take Southwest on a long flight are that you get no food and on certain flights you have multiple stops. I know that soon Southwest will have a nonstop from Baltimore /Washington to Los Angeles. Be careful when they say the flight is direct. Direct means that you stay on the same, plane but can make anywhere from 1-3 stops along the way. Many people confuse direct with nonstop.

mt-x

I agree with the above posters. In terms of comfort, Southwest is good for traveling short distances. I flown the cross country route on Southwest before. Coming back to LA, we made 2 stops...I actually had 3 seats to myself and I was able to stretch out and relax. However, I had to change planes in Phoenix and that plane was crowded. It was a long flight but not as bad because I was able to stretch my legs most of the way.

Mrs. J

Southwest has the most on time flights of ANY airline. They have the happiest flight crews and are consistantly ranked among the best companies to work for.

CAUTION: they will make your big fat self buy two seats if you don't fit in one. This is the reason that I will only fly SWA.

Other airlines do not have this policy, and since I am small, I am the one who suffers when a large person sits next to me, and then lifts the armrest to give themselves more room. Just because my butt doesn't take up the entire seat doesn't mean I want to share it with you.

You will have to get there early, to get a seat you want. It is worth it, trust me.

Mike

I used to fly Southwest a lot, but haven't recently. While I think they are an amazing company, I think they are a little too "cute" and one often feels like you are part of a cattle call, being herded on and off the plane.

The other drawback (or advantage) is they use alternative airports. For instance, if you want to go to Washington, you end up at BWI which is an inconvenient mess. If you are going to Boston, it's Providence; NYC, it's Islip.

carolyn

I really like flying Southwest. When flying with another person, we never had a problem getting seats together.

I flew across country with them. BWI to Oakland via Kansas City, and we got snacks on both legs, the second leg, much more than just peanuts/pretzel. It was all brand name snack food, processed cheese, oreos, etc. Wasn't great, but at least you knew what you were getting!

My only complaint is if you have to change plans, you have to get in line all over again at the connecting flight to get a boarding pass, they don't check you through the entire flight like the biggies.

Bruce

For short flights, I LOVE Southwest. When I fly on business though or on longer flights, I'd never consider them as I always want non-stops whenever possible. Also, with other airlines you build up frequent flyer miles and gain status such as Platinum etc. This is when you get the upgrades to first class, double miles accumulated etc. Southwest doesn't even have a first class so you lose out.
But, again, for shorter flights I think they're terrific. Bruce

w

SW is the Wal-Mart of airlines; cheap, not elegant, no frills, but reliable and good value. SW does bring lower fares and I wish that they would fly to my city.

Rich

Adding on to what others have said (and what I sort of said earlier), Southwest is definitely NOT my first choice for long-haul flights. The only times I would choose them for a cross-country flight are if they have the only non-stop or if I'm flying on a free Rapid Rewards ticket.

When I lived in Nashville, SWA was great because they had non-stops to a lot of places that you'd otherwise have to connect somewhere to get to, e.g. Las Vegas, Oakland (they don't fly into SFO), Seattle, etc.

The only reason I don't like connecting on Southwest is because you have to stand in line all over again to get a boarding pass for the 2nd flight, and since their connection times are usually short, that means you normally get #122 or something and get a crappy middle seat.

I've heard conflicting reports about what their new boarding process means for connecting flights -- can anybody who's flown them recently enlighten us? Do you still have to get the boarding pass for the 2nd leg when you get to the intermediate airport, or will they issue them all at your point of origin?

Oh yeah, one other great thing about SWA's FF program is that they are REALLY flexible about letting you use your voucher. There are a few blackout dates around the major holidays, but otherwise if there's an empty seat on a flight, they'll give it to you. None of this "we only set aside three seats per flight for FF awards." Try going to Las Vegas or another v. popular destination on a FF award ticket on one of the other big airlines...good luck!

capt comic

I find SW flight attendents give the best head.