No more SW for me...
Dec 12, 2018, 7:28 pm
#31
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 3,359
What didn't you like of the Southwest experience? Was it the 2 free checked bags? Perhaps it was flights you could cancel to get a full credit towards future flights?
Agreed that the amount you paid was a lot but that could be due to other factors like supply and demand of route. I've seen FR flights cost hundreds of pounds for short haul flights (e.g. London to Paris). I've also seen cheap fares on legacies like my recent 300 GBP London to Los Angeles return flight.
I don't understand what the appeal of early boarding is: pack light, board late and enjoy the mamosas in the lounge! Early boarding means catching a bad case of gate lice and no one wants that on their trip!
Safe Travels,
James
Agreed that the amount you paid was a lot but that could be due to other factors like supply and demand of route. I've seen FR flights cost hundreds of pounds for short haul flights (e.g. London to Paris). I've also seen cheap fares on legacies like my recent 300 GBP London to Los Angeles return flight.
I don't understand what the appeal of early boarding is: pack light, board late and enjoy the mamosas in the lounge! Early boarding means catching a bad case of gate lice and no one wants that on their trip!
Safe Travels,
James
Dec 12, 2018, 9:27 pm
#32
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: SNA
Programs: Bonvoy LTTE/AMB, AmEx Plat, National EE, WN A-List, CLEAR+, Covid-19
Posts: 4,966
Southwest Airlines Reports November Traffic:
Revenue passengers carried: 11,648,833 11,648,832
Dec 13, 2018, 6:52 am
#33
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Nashville -Past DL Plat, FO, WN-CP, various hotel programs
Programs: DL-MM, AA, SW w/companion,HiltonDiamond, Hyatt PLat, IHF Plat, Miles and Points Seeker
Posts: 11,072
What didn't you like of the Southwest experience? Was it the 2 free checked bags? Perhaps it was flights you could cancel to get a full credit towards future flights?
Agreed that the amount you paid was a lot but that could be due to other factors like supply and demand of route. I've seen FR flights cost hundreds of pounds for short haul flights (e.g. London to Paris). I've also seen cheap fares on legacies like my recent 300 GBP London to Los Angeles return flight.
I don't understand what the appeal of early boarding is: pack light, board late and enjoy the mamosas in the lounge! Early boarding means catching a bad case of gate lice and no one wants that on their trip!
Safe Travels,
James
Agreed that the amount you paid was a lot but that could be due to other factors like supply and demand of route. I've seen FR flights cost hundreds of pounds for short haul flights (e.g. London to Paris). I've also seen cheap fares on legacies like my recent 300 GBP London to Los Angeles return flight.
I don't understand what the appeal of early boarding is: pack light, board late and enjoy the mamosas in the lounge! Early boarding means catching a bad case of gate lice and no one wants that on their trip!
Safe Travels,
James
* Southwest does not have any lounges.
* On Southwest if you wait and board late, you will surely end up in a middle seat.
* Southwest does not fly to or within Europe, so comparisons to those rates means little.
(I do fly SW plenty and am just find with them. We board early and get the 2 seat row often - just the two of us)
Dec 13, 2018, 7:33 am
#34
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Peoria
Programs: Southwest, Best Western Gold, La Quinta, Dollar
Posts: 819
Its because the virtual boarding position for a flight months away probably changes on a daily basis. For example, every WGA/EBCI boarding position will get bumped by one every time someone buys an AT/EBCI fare. Or it'll move up if there's a cancellation, etc.
Dec 13, 2018, 7:36 am
#35
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Peoria
Programs: Southwest, Best Western Gold, La Quinta, Dollar
Posts: 819
Dec 13, 2018, 7:50 am
#37
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 3,359
Sorry Mate - but you are comparing apples to potatoes, or something....
* Southwest does not have any lounges.
* On Southwest if you wait and board late, you will surely end up in a middle seat.
* Southwest does not fly to or within Europe, so comparisons to those rates means little.
(I do fly SW plenty and am just find with them. We board early and get the 2 seat row often - just the two of us)
* Southwest does not have any lounges.
* On Southwest if you wait and board late, you will surely end up in a middle seat.
* Southwest does not fly to or within Europe, so comparisons to those rates means little.
(I do fly SW plenty and am just find with them. We board early and get the 2 seat row often - just the two of us)
1) Southwest has tons of lounges United Club, Admirals Lounge, Delta Skyclub, Centurion lounge, etc. All you need is a half decent travel credit card.
2) and what's so bad about a middle seat? Most of their flights are short haul and the few that are marginally long... I've had worse experiences in Air Canada Rogue flights in an aisle seat in economy in a 8 hour flight to MAN so there!
3) agreed that they don't fly within Europe but the comparison is fare. Like Ryanair they tend to only fly shitt haul regional flights and they're light fromfr like Norwegian!
In any event I am constantly surprised by people who fly budget airlines and are surprised they don't get the same service as legacies (similar to people who are surprised their nonrefundable ticket cannot be refunded). Look, you wanted to get from point a to point b and choose Southwest. What were you expecting?
Safe Travels,
James
Dec 13, 2018, 7:53 am
#38
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 3,359
Safe Travels,
James
Dec 13, 2018, 8:04 am
#40
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 3,359
Safe Travels,
James
Dec 13, 2018, 8:10 am
#41
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Peoria
Programs: Southwest, Best Western Gold, La Quinta, Dollar
Posts: 819
I am easy to please. I like a window seat.... One that is not blocked by the wing. Fortunately there are about 40 of those on a 737. I am not one of those whose flight is ruined because their favorite seat is already taken.
Dec 13, 2018, 8:27 am
#42
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Dallas, TX
Programs: WN A-List Pref, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold, IHG Plat
Posts: 460
Dec 13, 2018, 10:05 am
#43
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 5,813
Or if an A-List passenger buys a ticket or and existing passenger achieves A-List status after buying a ticket but before the flight.
Dec 13, 2018, 10:17 am
#44
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Traveling the World
Posts: 6,072
Friends don't let friends fly SouthWest. Ok, old stuff, but I have only flown SW a couple times. After purchasing Early-Bird have a "B" boarding position. No thanks, ever again. I will get a paid seat on all my flights elsewhere. Yes, I understand that no one cares except me and I will not be missed... As if my $750.00 r/t PIT to FLL is not enough.
Dec 13, 2018, 11:09 am
#45
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Sarasota, FL (SRQ)
Programs: WN A-List, AA EXP, Hyatt Top Tier (definitely NOT a Globalist), National Exec Elite
Posts: 491
It is crazy to me when non-status pax complain about the Southwest check-in and boarding process. The fascination with assigned seats, and some bizarre perception that they would do better on a legacy carrier, is badly misplaced IMHO.
Case in point, I just bought my assistant an RT TPA-SAN for over the holidays using UA miles. Great news, I was able to get her an assigned seat on all 4 segments! Bad news, since she has no status, all I could get her were middle seats. A middle seat is the worst possible outcome on Southwest, and an outcome that is easily avoided many different ways. Get status. Buy EBCI. Check in at T-24. Good luck with any of those strategies to stay out of a middle seat on UA/AA/DL.
Most of my extended family are non-status WN pax, but they all know to check in at exactly T-24. In decades of travel, hundreds of flights, to my recollection none of them have ever unwillingly ended up in a middle seat. And this is with zero outlay towards EBCI, which of course makes the likelihood of a preferred aisle or window seat even closer to 100%.
I enjoy having status on Southwest and there are some worthwhile perks that come along with it, but the gap between status and non-status pax on Southwest is dramatically less than on any legacy carrier. In other words, infrequent travelers can do almost as well, and have nearly the same experience, as a 100+ segment WN elite. Try achieving that on United!
Case in point, I just bought my assistant an RT TPA-SAN for over the holidays using UA miles. Great news, I was able to get her an assigned seat on all 4 segments! Bad news, since she has no status, all I could get her were middle seats. A middle seat is the worst possible outcome on Southwest, and an outcome that is easily avoided many different ways. Get status. Buy EBCI. Check in at T-24. Good luck with any of those strategies to stay out of a middle seat on UA/AA/DL.
Most of my extended family are non-status WN pax, but they all know to check in at exactly T-24. In decades of travel, hundreds of flights, to my recollection none of them have ever unwillingly ended up in a middle seat. And this is with zero outlay towards EBCI, which of course makes the likelihood of a preferred aisle or window seat even closer to 100%.
I enjoy having status on Southwest and there are some worthwhile perks that come along with it, but the gap between status and non-status pax on Southwest is dramatically less than on any legacy carrier. In other words, infrequent travelers can do almost as well, and have nearly the same experience, as a 100+ segment WN elite. Try achieving that on United!