westcoastman

I am looking for opinions from Alaska Air FF about why people fly Southwest Air. Since just about all the airlines will eventually match airfares you will find their same low fare on another full service carrier. Is it the perception that you are getting a "deal" since you are treated like crap? Is it the generous frequent flyer credit? Is the ease in which they offer their low fares? Every time I see that show "Airline" I just have to wonder why anyone would want to fly every week on such a tacky airline where the employees treat you like children.

rjque

There are many reasons.

- Price is the number one reason. WN is almost always cheaper for walkup fares, sometime by very significant sums of money. This is particularly true if you are flexible as to the destination and/or origin airport (i.e. flying SEA-FLLThat alone is a huge reason to fly WN. WN will occasionally beat AS' lowest fare on advance purchase fares, but this is infrequent.

- High frequencies in some major business markets. Nobody beats WN in the Bay Area to SoCal market as far as frequencies and choices of airports go. WN flies OAK/SJC-LAX/BUR/ONT/SNA/SAN on full sized jets multiple times a day to each destination. AS flies one flight a day between SFO and LAX and four flights a day between OAK and SNA. UA comes close with lots of flights between SFO and LAX but you'd better be prepared for CRJ's and props if you want to go to BUR or ONT.

- Ability to bank unused tickets for a year against multiple itineraries. AS charges $50 to move funds spent from one ticket to another and even then you can only use the funds toward one ticket.

- Some people actually like the fact the WN employees are corny. I prefer AS' more professional approach, but to each their own. WN's service is certainly better than the bitter stuff so common at NW and AA.

- You already mentioned Rapid Rewards, but there is something to be said for completely unrestricted award inventory.

- Did I mention no RJ's?

That said, if given the choice between AS/QX and WN, I'd pick AS/QX in a heartbeat if price were close.

BLI-Flyer

I fly SWA based on price. I just bought a round trip ticked from SEA - LAS for mid-May for $176 on SWA. Alaska was almost $100 more expensive with fewer flights to choose from.

Alaska Gold MVP

Alpha Golf

While the fares are matched it's almost always with more restrictions and less avail.

Also they don't treat you like crap -- generally the employees are really friendly and have great attitude.

And they pick up the phone on the first ring, unlike --- errr... --- certain other airlines.

Having said that, I'd rather be on AS or NW.

JerryFF

A few other points -

1) No change penalty on any fare, even the lowest nonrefundable.

2) No hassles about back-to-back tickets. They even encourage it.

3) You can transfer unused funds to any other person with no fee or penalty.

4) If you need a 1-way ticket and a RT is cheaper, the same as the 1 way, or even just a little more, you can fly the one way and then reuse the value of the return segment toward any other ticket for yourself or anyone else.

FlyinHawaiian

Recently, I needed to book a one way trip for next month from BUR to the Bay Area. My options were:

AS - No direct flights out of BUR to Bay Area
UA - $188 BUR-SFO
WN - $39 BUR-SJC or BUR-OAK

lalala

1. great san-oak service
2. same planes at AS
3. same if not better service as AS based on my past few AS sea-cal flights
4. sea-abq non-stop
5. new service to PHL makes for good price wars

westcoastman

Sounds like SWA dominates certain markets where they have frequent non-stop flights. I have looked at them LAX/SNA-SEA and SEA-MCO and have not found prices to be substantially lower to justify stops in OAK or going cross country without FC. The ticket credit value thing is pretty similar for MVP Golds but you cannot transfer to another person. The fact that AS MVP Gold's only earn 5K total mileage for westcoast routes sucks when fares are over $200. When I ask SWA flyers, most are unable to answer why they fly. AS and other carriers, even at $39, SHOULD always be matching SWA's prices.

Tango

Most people do not have status with any airline so the chance of an upgrade does not factor into their preferences.

SPIT

Why do people fly WN? They're CHEAPER.... period!

Sure, there's other secondary reasons, but the fare is the winner. Of course, with that cheap fare comes trade-offs: Waiting in line forever just to avoid a middle seat, cattle-call boarding, no FC, no real alliance with other airlines, no stand-by, no meals, corny FA's, etc etc. BUT, there's that low low price... and for many, that's all that counts.

These trade-offs are also why numerous people absolutely refuse to fly WN. Same reason both Ford and BMW exist.

The Rapid Rewards on WN have some plusses... except the expiration date!! And you can't use them on anything but WN, which also means no international flights.

I'd say the cattle-call loading and no stand-by policy are the biggest reasons I don't fly WN... guess I value my time too much. I usually arrive to the airport 35-40 minutes before my flight, which is a guarantee for a middle seat on WN, versus my reserved seat on any other airline. Also, if meetings end early, or I just plain change my mind, I can grab and earlier/later flight no problem. I can also buy the lower fare for a different flight time, and then stand-by for the one I want... which so far, I've always gotten a seat.

I'll happily pay the little extra to not stand around all day at the airport just for the opportunity to say "Mooo". I just have better things to do. My time is money... so I probably come out ahead in the long run not wasting time at the airport.

FlyinHawaiian

If I were flying out of LAX to a destination and AS also flew the same route, I would probably pick AS, even if it was more expensive, because I cannot stand Terminal One at LAX. At peak times, the TSA line goes out the terminal and almost to Terminal Two. Terminal Three is not what I would consider a pleasant place, but at least it's a manageable experience.

EIPremier

At least on the SEA/PDX-OAK/SJC routes, I have found that AS matches WN for advanced-purchase fares. Neither currently have stay requirements on their fares on this route, so you can book one-way without being penalized. WN is really strict with their inventories and they often lock you out of the cheap fares months in advance for busy travel days. AS doesn't seem to be quite as strict in this regard. However, WN has lower unrestricted fares, so for travel booked less than 3-days in advance, WN is the way to go.

I find WN to be decent for short flights. I have only seen the "joking around" on a couple of occasions. I haven't found WN to be all that punctual, but perhaps that's just my personal experience. I definitely like WN much better now that they offer kiosk and web check-in. The only advantages I see to AS are 1) better schedule frequency (at least to SJC), and 2) the possibility of a First Class upgrade.

SeattlePilot

Whoever is saying SWA is cheapest either doesn't fly enough or doesn't have a clue about the pricing. For my SEA-LAS runs I use United, since I am 1K already.
I cannot stand the cornyness of people on board SWA. I cannot stand the fact that you may buy a last minute fare on SWA and you can end up being the last one to board.

Even in the cases where I pay my own fares, United matches the fare to the WNs. Oh one more thing, SW doesn't know that other countries exist

rjque

The frequency issue is really primary for a lot of travellers. If I had to travel to ONT or BUR on a regular basis I wouldn't have any good choice but WN. And WN recently introduced web check-in. You can always get an "A" now and be guaranteed an aisle/window while showing up 20 minutes prior to departure.

kef0913

They're the only airline that flies BUR-SJC. And from LAX-SJC they are $78 right now - everyone else is $142.