SWA - the no fee airline!

[SelectSys]

I needed to book some travel on SWA for the weekend. The home page now trumpets SWA's lack of fees compared with other carriers - "Luv is freedom from fees". The page lists all the new fees being charged by other carriers for items such as checked bags, fuel surcharges, snacks, itinerary changes, etc. Once again, SWA chooses not to follow the herd.

[wrp96]

Except that for most of my upcoming flights, even with all the added fees, the legacies are less expensive than Southwest.

[Keith1010]

For shorthaul flights SWA does a wonderful job. Good overall fares, very simple process to book flights, positive employees, and if you need to cancel your flight you can do so and reapply the fare to another flight without a penalty.

 

Keith

[greatam]

Except that for most of my upcoming flights, even with all the added fees, the legacies are less expensive than Southwest.

 

Ain't that the truth. And flying the legacies give you your choice of seats IN ADVANCE, first class, lounges and FF miles that you can actually use to fly someplace exotic. LAX to ISP is NOT my idea of a great FF trip. I have FINALLY gotten rid of all but 2 of the many vouchers everyone accumulated on SW. Even my employees, when they realized that legacy miles are MUCH more valuable than Rapid Rewards, now REFUSE to fly SW. They want miles that get them to Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, etc.

[Keith1010]

Except that for most of my upcoming flights, even with all the added fees, the legacies are less expensive than Southwest.

 

For us, we have found the pricing to be competive. Obviously, this varies by airport. And, we can change our flights or cancel plans and reapply our fare to another flight. Much better than the legacies in my humble opinion. And, the people who work for SWA are positive people.

 

Again, for a long haul flight I will go with someone else for some of the reasons that Greatam mentioned but for a short haul flight I'll go with SWA.

 

 

Keith

[6rugrats]

Ain't that the truth. And flying the legacies give you your choice of seats IN ADVANCE, first class, lounges and FF miles that you can actually use to fly someplace exotic. LAX to ISP is NOT my idea of a great FF trip. I have FINALLY gotten rid of all but 2 of the many vouchers everyone accumulated on SW. Even my employees, when they realized that legacy miles are MUCH more valuable than Rapid Rewards, now REFUSE to fly SW. They want miles that get them to Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, etc.

 

So true. I haven't been able to find a cheaper flight where I want to go using SW but one time over the last five years.

 

And, since we try and fly the same airlines, we have achieved elite status, so we don't pay of these fees anyway.

[Keith1010]

Ain't that the truth. And flying the legacies give you your choice of seats IN ADVANCE, first class, lounges and FF miles that you can actually use to fly someplace exotic. LAX to ISP is NOT my idea of a great FF trip. I have FINALLY gotten rid of all but 2 of the many vouchers everyone accumulated on SW. Even my employees, when they realized that legacy miles are MUCH more valuable than Rapid Rewards, now REFUSE to fly SW. They want miles that get them to Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, etc.

 

I think I know one poster on this board who would be happy you can't reserve seats. More like the international airlines, I guess. :p

 

In all seriousness, in spite of the fact you can't reserve seats their new process is actually quite good.

 

Again, we only take SWA for some intrastate flights but when we do it works fine. They use a smaller airport here allowing for fast accesss in and out of the airport and their flights are by and large on time and the personnel are very helpful and we can book the flights well in advance and if we need to change plans we can reuse the fair for another flight.

 

Keith

[KLLund]

I think I know one poster on this board who would be happy you can't reserve seats. More like the international airlines, I guess. :p

 

In all seriousness, in spite of the fact you can't reserve seats their new process is actually quite good.

 

Again, we only take SWA for some intrastate flights but when we do it works fine. They use a smaller airport here allowing for fast accesss in and out of the airport and their flights are by and large on time and the personnel are very helpful and we can book the flights well in advance and if we need to change plans we can reuse the fair for another flight.

 

Keith

That has always been my point .. regionally for us .. they can't be beat .. longer hauls yes they can be beat but for our region of the country ... usually PDX to a Calif airport .. the others don't have the number of flights or the prices that work for us. I know they don't work for everyone .. I am just glad they work for where we need to go so repetitively!!!

[Keith1010]

That has always been my point .. regionally for us .. they can't be beat .. longer hauls yes they can be beat but for our region of the country ... usually PDX to a Calif airport .. the others don't have the number of flights or the prices that work for us. I know they don't work for everyone .. I am just glad they work for where we need to go so repetitively!!!

 

Absolutely.

 

I would never think of flying them to many places that we go. Never for any of our cruises based on where we live and where we go. But they provide a niche service for certain routes and there are certain airports around the USA where they are the primary carrier and there are minimal alternatives.

 

Keith

[nho9504]

For shorthaul flights SWA does a wonderful job. Good overall fares, very simple process to book flights, positive employees, and if you need to cancel your flight you can do so and reapply the fare to another flight without a penalty.

 

Keith

 

Except that they dont have assigned seats and everyone stands up in rows like cattles - that is the exact words my husband voiced when last year he first saw a SWA flight started its boarding process at Oakland airport - the very first time he saw such line-up - he said to me, "why those people line up like this? like cattles?" I have to roll my eyes - such a naive comment! Then we saw this scene repeated at SJC where we flew out Tuesday morning - the SWA flight was right next to our AA flight to DFW, and my DH made that same comment again! Poor guy, that was the 2nd time he witnessed a boarding process of SWA flight. I cannot imagine what he would say if he ever saw the Original method SWA used to board...

 

I wouldn't go into the arguement of FF miles as I have made my points known many times. :)

[Keith1010]

Except that they dont have assigned seats and everyone stands up in rows like cattles - that is the exact words my husband voiced when last year he first saw a SWA flight started its boarding process at Oakland airport - the very first time he saw such line-up - he said to me, "why those people line up like this? like cattles?" I have to roll my eyes - such a naive comment! Then we saw this scene repeated at SJC where we flew out Tuesday morning - the SWA flight was right next to our AA flight to DFW, and my DH made that same comment again! Poor guy, that was the 2nd time he witnessed a boarding process of SWA flight. I cannot imagine what he would say if he ever saw the Original method SWA used to board...

 

I wouldn't go into the arguement of FF miles as I have made my points known many times. :)

 

Yes, the drawback is that they do not have assigned seats something I feel strongly about as noted on another of my posts.

 

With that said, they are fine for a shorthaul flight. By shorthaul, I am talking about 1 hour or so flights.

 

And as to boarding their new process is quite good. In short, as in the past you are assigned to a group boarding group as they had done in the past but rather than three major groups, not within each group there are just five seats. Actually, when it is time to board they ask that the groups stand up, and the gates are each marked where you stand and I have to say that the process is more orderly than almost any other airline I have traveled on.

 

And, I am an elite member of another airline and the other airline is the one that we use for just about all of our longer flights including those for our vacations. But, for these short flights this carrier does not fly them and when they do they do it in very small planes, but Southwest does fly them, does them in 737's and in my humble opinion does them nicely.

 

In short, we do not use SWA for long flights. We use them for intrastate and other short haul flights which are not covered by our major airline but are covered very nicely by SWA. I live near a major airport, but we also had a smaller airport that SWA serves. Many people are not so fortunate and only have a small airport and sometimes SWA is the exclusive or close to being the exclusive carrier.

 

But, as I've said many times, for a short haul flight SWA does a nice job, their employees are riendlier than just about all of the ones from the major carriers, if you change your flight you can reapply the fare to another SWA flight with no (yes, no) penalties, their pricing is competitive sometimes the same as the competitors sometimes cheaper and if you book early you can get some great specials,and when you book they clearly show you on their web site the prices. And, there web site is very user friendly. So, in my humble opinion, they do a lot of good things. Ironically, they are a low cost provider or at least a competivie provider who now are able to do a few things that their competitors don't do such as not charging for the initial two pieces of luggage.

 

Keith

[Globaliser]

I think I know one poster on this board who would be happy you can't reserve seats.

Yes, the drawback is that they do not have assigned seats something I feel strongly about as noted on another of my posts.

Incorrect, if you're talking about me.

 

Allocated seats are good. But I would rather have a better seat allocated to me at the time of check-in, and a fair run at a good selection of seats at that time, than being allocated a poor seat at the time of booking because the better seats have been taken by people who have paid less than I have for a seat in the same cabin.

 

Judging by the number of posts along the lines of "There are no seats left for pre-allocation except single middle seat split up all over the aircraft", I am not alone in thinking this. However, I am sure that those who book early and cheap will feel smug about what they've done.

[flamomo]

And, if you sign up for SW's "DING", you can get some amazing fares.

I too would prefer being able to make my seat choice when booking, but for a really great fare I can forego that. At least, if you check in online 23 hours and 59 minutes before a flight, you are likely to be able to get a seat in the area you would prefer, by getting a place in Group A.

I like SW a lot, and they would be my first choice for most flights, because their people are almost uniformly pleasant and helpful, and I find their seats comfortable. But I do fly other lines, depending on routes, times and fares for each flight.

[Keith1010]

Incorrect, if you're talking about me.

 

Allocated seats are good. But I would rather have a better seat allocated to me at the time of check-in, and a fair run at a good selection of seats at that time, than being allocated a poor seat at the time of booking because the better seats have been taken by people who have paid less than I have for a seat in the same cabin.

 

Judging by the number of posts along the lines of "There are no seats left for pre-allocation except single middle seat split up all over the aircraft", I am not alone in thinking this. However, I am sure that those who book early and cheap will feel smug about what they've done.

 

Actually, I think the majority of passengers from the USA who are accustomed to obtaining seat assignements at the time of their booking are happy to lock in seat assignments. And, when I book early I don't look at my fare as necessarily being "cheap". If I wanted "cheap" I would not take direct flights, and maybe would wait for the last minute.

 

Not sure what "cheap" has to do with the discussion of seat assignments.

 

Keith

[Globaliser]

Not sure what "cheap" has to do with the discussion of seat assignments.

Because if you allocate the whole (or nearly the whole) of the aircraft on booking, those who pay more expensive fares later get a poorer choice compared to those who paid cheaper fares earlier. Shaft your more profitable customers: an excellent business model.

[Keith1010]

Because if you allocate the whole (or nearly the whole) of the aircraft on booking, those who pay more expensive fares later get a poorer choice compared to those who paid cheaper fares earlier. Shaft your more profitable customers: an excellent business model.

 

Many times it is the ones who book at the last minute who get the "cheap fares". I receive last minute deals all the time. The model was changed several years ago. Booking early does not necessarily correlate to the lower fares, except on say airlines such as SWA.

 

Anyway, I had said this several times and this will be the last time I will say this. It is fine for reasonable people to disagree.

 

I prefer airlines that allow seats to be assigned at the time of booking, with the exception of say SWA but as i said we do not use them for long haul travel.

 

I do not prefer those that you can not assign seats at time of bookng. You do.

 

So, I will be happy selecting those airlines that I am happy with and you can be happy with your choices.

 

On the cruise boards line boards that I post often on people know my views. They are very simple.

 

It is wonderful that we do have choice. I am glad that all cruise lines are not created equally and likewise I am glad that all airlines were not created equally.

 

And, if we all thought the same way life would be dull.

 

And, in the scheme of things this is a nit. There are people in this world who will never cruise, will never fly on an airplane and many who do not know where they will sleep this evening or what they will eat.

 

Life is good.

 

Keith

[G'ma]

That has always been my point .. regionally for us .. they can't be beat .. longer hauls yes they can be beat but for our region of the country ... usually PDX to a Calif airport .. the others don't have the number of flights or the prices that work for us. I know they don't work for everyone .. I am just glad they work for where we need to go so repetitively!!!

 

I'm with you!!! On long-haul, there may be better options than SW..... But, from Philly to Florida, the prices can't be beat by anyone. I recently booked my flights for December on the Triumph..... SW was 79.00 to FLL and 69.00 for the return!!!!

 

No baggage fees, friendly and efficient staff, best on-time record in the industry, clean equipment, quick baggage claim process. What's not to like?

 

Would I book them from, say, Philly to Oakland? No. But their fares sure keep my cruise budget in line.

[Globaliser]

Anyway, I had said this several times and this will be the last time I will say this.

You are the person who chose to bring our discussion from another thread into this one, in which your comments actually had no place - and to do so by snidely and inaccurately misrepresenting me.

 

But if you can reliably get cheaper seats closer to the time of travel, then obviously you and I travel in different universes anyway.

[Keith1010]

But if you can reliably get cheaper seats closer to the time of travel, then obviously you and I travel in different universes anyway.

 

Many USA carriers offer last minute deals to fill the planes. American Airlines is one of them. I don't take advantage of these because we do book early.

 

Keith

[megr1125]

Ain't that the truth. And flying the legacies give you your choice of seats IN ADVANCE, first class, lounges and FF miles that you can actually use to fly someplace exotic. LAX to ISP is NOT my idea of a great FF trip. I have FINALLY gotten rid of all but 2 of the many vouchers everyone accumulated on SW. Even my employees, when they realized that legacy miles are MUCH more valuable than Rapid Rewards, now REFUSE to fly SW. They want miles that get them to Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, etc.

 

you mean ISP isn't exotic???? Long Island IS an Island after all!!:D (you could always hire me and i will be happy to relieve you of your vouchers!;) :D ....i am sure there is SOMEPLACE on WN's system i could go!!)

 

True though, sometimes they aren't the cheapest....but at least, knock on wood, i haven't met any really lousy employees! i don't fly enough on any one airline to accumulate anything--now MARRIOTT points...THOSE i can switch for all sorts of cool stuff!

[KLLund]

A few years ago .. I had friends in Michigan getting married and honeymoon set out out of Florida. A week before the wedding .. will all accommodations made .. her flight was cancelled ..and although they were more than willing to refund the cost there seemed to be no way for her to get there after about 4 hours on the phone.. more sophisticated flyers would had been able to deal with it but she was not in that category. I got on the SWA website .. booked her tickets with a couple FF vouchers I had it done in about 5 minutes. I always think to myself .. that is good customer service. And I never fail to get good customer service from them.

By the way .. I like not having seats assigned .. I usually get horrible seats assigned. Next month we fly to Sacramento and change planes .. we are then joined by my son and his wife for the flight to San Diego. I didn't have to co-ordinate seat assignments for all four of us on that leg or the leg back from San Diego to Sacramento .. where they will disembark and we will continue on home to Portland. Makes it easier in my book.

[chemist661]

I used to be mid/top tier on a couple airlines. (Mid tier: United & American plus top tier United/American). If you have status, then flying the legacies are usually better. Upgrades and in past years double miles for mid/top tiers are very nice. Before I got married 2 years ago, I flew alot to see many places on my own dime. Presently, having to buy two tickets (spouse plus myself) plus tickets being more pricy changed the equation for me.

 

On my last cruise, we flew Southwest on award tickets that expired soon. (SNA-SEA via SMF outbound, via OAK return) We liked being able to check bags without paying fees. For our upcoming cruise out of New York in October, we are each using the free ticket we got from UA for giving up our seats. We have no status with UA and we are trying to only check one bag total due to UA charging for checked luggage. ($15 each way for 1st bag per person). For using United (legacy carrier), we had alot more choices of airports than Southwest offers plus nonstops. We are going into Newark and out of JFK. With the UA free ticket, we can book up to Q class which is a higher fare class.

 

Bottom line: Southwest usually works fine for non status passengers that doesn't fly much. One has to accept limitations on where they go and their reward structure. Legacies work better if one has status with them. With United & Delta, non status passengers usually get stuck talking to India reservation agents. I like AA better as one almost always get US based agents. As an Exec Plat (top tier), their service was excellent!

 

The above is my experiences and opinion. Other passengers experiences may vary.

[SelectSys]

...FF miles that you can actually use to fly someplace exotic. LAX to ISP is NOT my idea of a great FF trip...

 

FF miles are not just for leisure travel. I use my WN passes for business. My favorite use of WN passes is SAN-BWI non-stop when I need to go to the DC area for marketing / sales.

 

... But they provide a niche service for certain routes and there are certain airports around the USA where they are the primary carrier and there are minimal alternatives.

 

Keith

 

They fill a pretty big niche in San Diego. About 50% of flight operations out of SAN are on WN.

 

... they aren't the cheapest....but at least, knock on wood, i haven't met any really lousy employees! i don't fly enough on any one airline to accumulate anything--now MARRIOTT points...THOSE i can switch for all sorts of cool stuff!

 

True enough, it has been my contention that WN sells more on service and frequency of travel than on price. Tickets for last minute travel between SAN and LAS this weekend was a bit over $300.00. Clearly this is not cheap for a trip of less than an hour. However they have at least 10+ non-stop flights daily in each direction.

 

I am a long time member of Marriott's program. I really think that the value of Marriott points have dropped quite a bit as of late. It used to be that you could swap Marriott points 1-1 for airline miles but this is no longer the case.

 

It was been pointed out on this site that Starwood has the best exchange program with Airlines.