What's the allure of Southwest Airlines?

[Random Variable]

The show on A&E makes it seem like Southwest is constantly pissing off people.

 

[zbalat]

Yolanda has nice cranks

 

[BoomerD]

I avoid Southwest when I can. SOMETIMES, their fares are low enough to entice me to fly with them, but if I have at least 14 days advance notice, (which is what you need for their CHEAP fares) then I can usually beat them, or get dammed close with another airline...They are so no-frills, that it's like riding on a Greyhound with wings IMO...

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: BoomerD
I avoid Southwest when I can. SOMETIMES, their fares are low enough to entice me to fly with them, but if I have at least 14 days advance notice, (which is what you need for their CHEAP fares) then I can usually beat them, or get dammed close with another airline...They are so no-frills, that it's like riding on a Greyhound with wings IMO...

You've never flown Airtran then have you. Or Northwest. I'd gladly fly SW over either of those.

 

[BoomerD]

Originally posted by: vi_edit

Originally posted by: BoomerD
I avoid Southwest when I can. SOMETIMES, their fares are low enough to entice me to fly with them, but if I have at least 14 days advance notice, (which is what you need for their CHEAP fares) then I can usually beat them, or get dammed close with another airline...They are so no-frills, that it's like riding on a Greyhound with wings IMO...

You've never flown Airtran then have you. Or Northwest. I'd gladly fly SW over either of those.

Not sure about "air tran"...is that ATA? if so, then YES, I have, but avoid them when possible too. Often the cheapest going to Maui, so they're in the mix occasionally, but not if I can help it. Haven't flown NWA since the old "Northwest Orient" days...however, since the thread was about SWA, I use Alaska, Jet Blue, United, etc, to avoid SWA, but sometimes, their fares are impossible to beat, and I take their cattle car...If it's only a matter of a few $$$ between them and a "quality airline", then I'll go the other way, but if it's a significant amount, they get my business.

 

[CTrain]

The allure is they are cheap as hell and I can usually get a direct flight from them.
I was booking a flight from Orlando to San Diego Nov 29 to Dec 12 and cheapest I found was $300+ and it was not direct.

I found SW direct both ways and it was $244 with taxes and everything.
No other flight can come close to that.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

SWA sucks. I used to fly it for business sometimes when I was in the AF, and it always annoyed me that the military travel office would give them any of our business (by law the federal government has to spread its business around, so each route belongs to a particular carrier). I find the cattle-call aspect of it really annoying even though I always get to the airport early, and I don't see how anyone could compare it favorably to Northwest (which, while not the greatest, is at least a respectable, full-service airline).

 

[bctbct]

I have always had good flights with southwest. Few other carriers have really pissed me off. Try buying adult size clothing in the dominican republic.

 

[CrazyDe1]

Their rewards used to not have any capacity controls. Also you could buy them readily on ebay. They've tightened up a lot...

 

[halik]

fat people have to buy 2 seats?

 

[Rudee]

It's the Wallmart of airlines. Cheap prices if you can stand the freaks around you.

 

[weezergirl]

i've never really had a problem with SW and i've flown them numerous times. now american airlines is another story...!

 

[InverseOfNeo]

Originally posted by: weezergirl
i've never really had a problem with SW and i've flown them numerous times. now american airlines is another story...!

HAHAHA I was just about to say the same thing (even though I just flew AA this past weekend).

 

[dquan97]

I cant stand not to have assigned seating...though if I see someone cute w/ a seat open, then it's worth it.

 

[So]

I've never had a problem w/ southwest. I pay a low fare, and I expect to get little more than drink service and a pressurized cabin. They've never lost my luggage, are nearly always on time, and have even helped me when I completely missed my flight during the holidays.

 

[Stalin PoG]

Jetblue is better.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: BoomerD
They are so no-frills, that it's like riding on a Greyhound with wings IMO...

ALL airlines are no-frills these days, it seems to me.

SW = perfect safety record, cheap fares, fairly friendly crew, and they get me there just as fast as any other airline and feed me just as little, so...

 

[LtPage1]

They're inexpensive and on time.

 

[dabuddha]

Originally posted by: BoomerD

Originally posted by: vi_edit

Originally posted by: BoomerD
I avoid Southwest when I can. SOMETIMES, their fares are low enough to entice me to fly with them, but if I have at least 14 days advance notice, (which is what you need for their CHEAP fares) then I can usually beat them, or get dammed close with another airline...They are so no-frills, that it's like riding on a Greyhound with wings IMO...

You've never flown Airtran then have you. Or Northwest. I'd gladly fly SW over either of those.

Not sure about "air tran"...is that ATA? if so, then YES, I have, but avoid them when possible too. Often the cheapest going to Maui, so they're in the mix occasionally, but not if I can help it. Haven't flown NWA since the old "Northwest Orient" days...however, since the thread was about SWA, I use Alaska, Jet Blue, United, etc, to avoid SWA, but sometimes, their fares are impossible to beat, and I take their cattle car...If it's only a matter of a few $$$ between them and a "quality airline", then I'll go the other way, but if it's a significant amount, they get my business.

ATA != Air tran. I flew air tran last time and it wasn't too bad for me. Only thing was that I was seated in front of a young woman with a baby who wouldn't stop crying for the full 3-4 hours of the flight I could hear that baby crying through he headphones even. Not the airlines fault though

 

[EagleKeeper]

AirTran based out of Atlanta
ATA based out of Indy.

SW provides you with decent fares (esp in advance) with dependency. they may be crowded, but they seem to be friendly.

American & United on the other hand have treated me as if they feel that they are doing me a favor.

 

[iamwiz82]

Airtran bought up Valujet, for what it's worth.

I prefer legacies to the LCCs. I don't like SW. JetBlue may have been good, but I cannot forsee them surviving for a long time. Take a look at their historic stock chart. Their planes are getting older, they didn't plan for fuel prices properly.

 

[FoBoT]

low fares

they make money while the "big 7" airlines are all bankrupt

 

[foghorn67]

Southwest is smart. Their fuel hedging strategy paid off bigtime.
I rarely have a problem with SWA people. I do question 'no assigned' seating. For the most part, I just print the boarding passes before hand, and I get group A boarding. No need to rush when they board. You can get your pick of a seat with this.
They have always been nice to me, at the counter and over the phone.
I only had a problem once with one of their passenger(s). I was flying non-stop from PHL-LAX, and I got their early due to Philly traffic concerns, and the construction that was going on at the airport last year. I ended up waiting for a while, there was only me and an elderly lady, and her daughter who was in her mid-late thirties. It was a full flight. We chatted for a while to pass time, and we were sitting almost near the jetway door. Then people started to lineup for the group A boarding, which is silly. So we stood up where we were at, and some lady with her dumb husband and dumber HS sons started yelling at us. I told the lady we were there before her, and I told her to shut up. (She was yelling and cussing.)
She started getting louder, and her husband was embarrased.
The mother and daughter I was chatting with held their cool. I was amazed at their calmness. I went to turn around again after one her stupid sons threatened all of us, when some one gently grabbed my arm. The daughter had long hair and a jacket. She pushed her jacket aside and I saw a badge. She was FBI if I remember. I never seen so many jaws drop. It was so damn funny.
The daughter finally said something to the effect of, "we are going to sit down where we want, just like you. We have the same boarding groups, what's the worry? I advise you to calm down, otherwise you will be removed from the airport. Don't harass my mother or any other passengers."
It was one of the funniest things I have seen. She got applause.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I've never had a problem with Southwest.

 

[trmiv]

Southwest is like a bus with wings. I'm surprised there isn't a cable you pull when your stop comes up.

That said, I like Southwest for short flights. So cheap to fly to LA or Vegas from the Bay Area.

EDIT: Just read above and realized BoomerD beat me to the bus comment. LOL