I Fly SWA!
Written: Jan 27 '01 (Updated Jan 27 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Cheap, Internet Specials, Rapid Rewards
Cons: Doesn't have all the amenities, other airlines don't honor tickets, flight schedule
The Bottom Line: Southwest is cheap cheap cheap! But only you're willing to overlook the lack of some amenities
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| drpooh03's Full Review: Southwest Airlines |
I'm in a city about a 5 hour drive from the nearest large city. I'm a medical student on loans so I can't exactly fly out on a regular basis at regular airline prices. So what do I do? I fly Southwest!
The Good
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1) Can be VERY cheap
Two words: Internet Specials. If you're reading this epinion, then you're probably computer savvy enough to make purchases over the internet. That's all you need to take advantage of Southwest's Internet Specials. Every 2 weeks, they will release a list of select destinations that are available at super discounts, but ONLY if you purchase the ticket through their webpage. For the internet special destinations, each leg will cost you $99 at the very most. So that means I can fly from Houston to LA for $200 roundtrip + tax. Not bad right? There is an advanced purchase requirement on internet special purchases (2-3 weeks), and this purchase is non-refundable. However, you can cancel your flight if need be, and you will have that credit to use over the course of the next year. Only caveat is that the credit cannot be used towards other internet specials. This works well for flights planned well in advance, but probably doesn't work well for needing to fly out on a whim.
Southwest also has frequent systemwide sales where ALL flights will be cut down to $99-$109 per leg maximum with a certain advanced purchase time. Check out their website for these. I also think their normal "advance purchase" rates are pretty reasonable too.
But from what kind of deals I can get my hands on, the internet special prices are the best way to fly if you're on a really tight budget.
2) Rapid Rewards Program
In my opinion, Southwest offers one of the fastest ways to earn free flights out there.
Check out my epinion on it:
http://www.epinions.com/content_7243861636
There are several ways to earn "Rapid Reward Points" to get free airline tickets or a companion pass. You need 16 points to earn a free airline ticket, and you need 100 points to earn a companion pass (for the next year, you can get a free ticket for any flight you fly on).
First way first way to get "points" is through ticket purchases. You get a point for each flight between you starting point and destination, and so that means a roundtrip flight is worth 2 points. However, if you purchase your flight through the internet, you get double credits so a roundtrip can be worth 4 points! That means 4 roundtrips will get a free ticket that can be used on whatever flight you want (there are very few restrictions on those tickets). You can fly 4 short flights and earn a free ticket that can take you across the country.
The second way to earn points is through the SW Airlines VISA Credit Card. Every $1000 spent is a point, so $16,000 is a free ticket. This may seem like a lot compared to method #1, but for college students, charging your tuition on your credit card is an extremely fast way to earn points!
Lastly, you can earn points through many of their partner programs with certain car rental companies, hotels, and other credit card companies.
3) On time - for the most part
I think Southwest is reasonably on time for the most part. Out of the 9 flights I've taken on Southwest, I've had 1 major delay, and then 2-3 15 minute or less delays. I've only felt the need to yell at Southwest only once about delays so I'm generally satisfied with their on time performance. Because they make so many stops on long flights (see below under flight schedule), I'm surprised that they are able to keep so closely to their schedule.
The Bad
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1) Doesn't have all the amenities
I'll be the first to admit that Southwest doesn't have all the fancy meals and movies that most other airlines have. You are basically handed a bag of honey roasted peanuts and a drink for all trips. They offer alcoholic drinks for those over 21 for a price, and if you are involved in their Rapid Rewards Program (http://www.epinions.com/content_7243861636), you can even get free drink coupons! Most of the flights I take with Southwest are short 1-2 hour flights so give me my peanuts and drink, and I won't make a ruckus. The lack of amenities gets a little tiring on the longer 4 hour flights, but I just think of the good food waiting for me at the end of the tunnel.
2) Flight schedules
Southwest doesn't offer as many flight times if you are flying outside of Texas (they are based in Texas), and that can prove to be problematic at times. I was flying from Lubbock to LA last October when I ran into some sort of monsoon in Phoenix that caused all sorts of problems. The lack of flight times from our stopover to LA caused us to get into LA at 3 AM when we were supposed to arrive at 4 PM. They just didn't have many flights to move us around. We were later reimbursed with a free roundtrip voucher for the delay.
Also, many of their long flights can involve a lot of stopovers. Fly from Lubbock to LA involves 1-2 stops, usually in Albuquerque or El Paso. I would imagine a flight from Miami to LA would involve 4-5 stops. Some stops are a quick 20 minute stop to exchange passengers, and some are layover stops of 1 hour to 2 hours. This can make for a tiring, long flight, but I'm willing to put up with it because it was that much cheaper.
3) Other airlines will not honor their tickets
During the same fiasco last October, we asked if there was anyway that Southwest would be able to put us on another airline to get us to LA. But we were told that other airlines do not honor Southwest tickets because they are so cheap. This can definitely be a problem if you miss your connecting flight and if that was the last flight out. If someone has had another experience with this, please let me know.
Other comments
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1) Boarding method
Southwest doesn't assign seating like most other airlines. It's more of a "first come, better seat" arrangement. Boarding is arranged into 4 boarding groups of 30 people each. The earlier you check in at the gate counter, the earlier boarding group you will get. The earlier boarding group you get, the more likely you are to get a seat that you want. So, it's an incentive to arrive at the airport early so you can get into an early boarding group. They begin to hand out boarding passes an hour before takeoff time. If you have a paid ticket and do not arrive 10 minutes before takeoff time, you will forfeit your seat to the standby passengers. So the moral of the story is to get there early!
Final Thoughts (a la Jerry Springer)
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I really like Southwest Airlines because of their cheap prices which accommodates my budget. I know that the lack of amenities might not be for everyone, but that's something I'm willing to overlook since most airplane food is poor anyways and the movies usually ones that I've seen before.
Happy hunting!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
drpooh03
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Location: Lubbock, TX
Reviews written: 35
Trusted by: 20 members
About Me:
Med student in lubbock but Longhorn at heart... Hook 'em!
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