If you ever start planning a trip, one thing you might dread looking at and purchasing are plane tickets. My sister and I both attended Universities out-of-state (from 2001 to now) and the struggle of finding a good deal and being satisfied with the airlines went on for quite some time. The past few years however, my family has time-and-again turned to Southwest Airlines for our flying services. Here are the four main reasons why every time I fly, I look at Southwest’s website to see if they go to my destination:
#1. Baggage Fees
Six words: first and second bags fly free. Those are some sweet, sweet words my friends! That applies across the board, no matter how much or little you pay for your ticket. Every single person on the plane can check two bags for free. I tend to be an over-packer, no matter how often I fly, so I especially enjoy the fact that I don’t have to worry about paying extra baggage fees.
#2. Low Fares
Like all of you, I love saving money and getting the best deal possible! Southwest has amazing deals on flights, typically starting at $69 for a flight that is 500 miles or less. I receive email alerts letting me know when their deals start and end, and I love that they happen quite often! I’ve been a part of that email for a few years and am now able to predict when a sale is going to be coming up; that helps me figure out the timing for how I want to budget for my tickets.
#3. Customer Service
My family and I have never had an issue or complaint with Southwest (and I can’t even fathom how many times we’ve flown with them). Their employees have always been down-to-earth and courteous, as well as funny and extremely gracious. If something is wrong with their plane, they keep you up-to-date about what’s going on with it and immediately start figuring out back-up plans for everyone, including figuring out other flights for those who need to make a connecting flight for their destination. Depending on how long it takes to fix, everyone gets vouchers to use for another flight (yes you might arrive later than you were originally supposed to, but a free flight or two?! Yes please!). Their open communication is something I really appreciate.
#4. The Southwest Card
Like any airline, there is a Southwest card you can use to rack up points. It has no blackout dates, your points don’t expire, and you can earn unlimited reward seats. Depending on how often and where you travel to, it’s quite easy to gain points and redeem them. You can even use your points for their “Wanna Get Away” fares!
Whenever I plan a trip, I always look at Southwest’s website first for flight deals and I only use them to travel from home to school and back. I do sometimes fly with another airlines if need be, but the overall flight cost, free bags, and exceptional service always puts Southwest as my number one choice of airlines.
What airline do you most enjoy using? Why? Have you ever flown Southwest and did you enjoy it?
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Photo by Stuart Seeger
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Baggage fees make a huge difference. We’ve paid $50 to check a bag before and my head almost exploded. Since that happened, I learned to check on baggage fees and other fees.
Holly at ClubThrifty They can be so crazy!! I know that there are weight limits on planes and everything but holy cow.
Southwest is definitely a good airline, though where we fly there are often cheaper deals. So far we mostly get away without having to check a bag, so that makes it easier for other airlines to compete. Good customer service can go a long way though.
Matt @ Mom and Dad Money When you don’t have to check a bag, that definitely makes it a bit easier! When I’m not doing my typical back-and-forth from school and home, I still check out quite a few different airlines to make sure I’m getting the best deal. I really am in love with Southwest’s customer service though! They’ve always been really great!
For whatever reason I normally end up flying Delta. The prices normally aren’t the lowest but I feel that their service is reliable. I don’t do a ton of flying these days either so I am not an expert!
BudgetforMore If Delta works for you, that’s great! I’ve never been very satisfied with Delta so I haven’t flown with them for a few years; maybe they’ve changed some things and I should check them out again!
We just got Southwest flying out of our airport earlier this year – haven’t had a chance to fly with them yet but I’ve always heard such great things!
CSMillennial So exciting! I love when they add new ports because then I daydream about taking trips….I love to travel! You should definitely check them out when you fly next :)
I don’t necessarily have a favorite airline over another….I just look for the cheapest rate whenever I fly. If that ends up being Southwest, Delta, or 4WheelsAndAWing Airline, I’m in. :) That being said, I have flown Southwest and didn’t have any issues. :)
DebtChronicles Haha, love it! When I’m flying somewhere I don’t normally go, I still price-check all of the airlines to make sure I’m getting a good deal :)
We love Southwest and fly them whenever we can. Another reason why we like them is they tend to be on time the most, from what we’ve seen. The baggage fees though, I fear, will be coming at some point. They’ve discussed it as a possibility and as they continue to see the “lost” revenue they’re not getting it’s inevitable that they ax the no fee policy unfortunately.
FrugalRules I see the writing on the walls with this too, unfortunately :( 7 years ago, SW let you check 3 bags for free! Now it’s “only” 2, so I think they’ll continue to whittle it down.
StaplerConfessions FrugalRules I can’t really ever remember not being on time with Southwest – usually we land a bit early. I’m not surprised that they may start having baggage fees, I guess we just need to enjoy it while we can!
I used Southwest a lot when I was flying back and forth from Indiana to Arizona (almost every week!) for a job I had several years ago. They always had the cheapest rates, and it was easy to change flights if something came up. They are definitely one of my go-to airlines when I’m looking to travel!
GrowingHerWorth Love to hear that! That’s a lot of flying…wow!
I’ve heard great things about Southwest but there aren’t too many routes by me in NYC. The Southwest card also is a great card to churn for the bonus plus their companion pass is excellent from what I read from travel rewards bloggers.
Andrew LivingRichCheaply Hopefully they add some more routes around you guys soon! I’m just really impressed with everything they offer overall!
There are things I love about southwest, and things I hate. I’ve used their cc to get points and I love their low fares, but sw totally screwed me on my trip to seattle. They cancelled my flight and I couldn’t get another one until the next day, so I either had to sleep in the terminal or get my own hotel room. Yes, I had to pay for it out of pocket. They have also been the carrier I’ve had the most delays and cancelled flights with. :( So I have a love/hate relationship right now.
Beachbudget I’m sorry that happened to you! That is not cool at all :( So interesting to hear that as they’ve only delayed my flight once – otherwise we’ve always been on time and usually early to arrive somewhere.
I wish I had positive things to say about SW besides the low fares. I’ve always had lousy customer service with them, unfortunately. But then again, you get what you pay for, and I shouldn’t probably expect American Airlines experience for SW prices.
fitisthenewpoor So interesting as I haven’t had the best luck with American Airlines myself! I’m flying them in March, so hopefully this time I have as great experience as you have had with them.
I have never flown SW, but I don’t like any airline. I have just never had good experiences with them and they charge astronomical prices and fees.
DebtRoundUp Flying can be really astronomically priced – I fly by myself mostly but when I think about the future and flying a family of five or something like that….geez!
I have always had great experiences with Virgin American, Alaska, and United. VA is very hip and I feel like it caters a lot to a younger generation with the gadgets and the outlets for electronics. Alaska has EXCELLENT customer service and their food is delicious. United is convenient and their upgrades are affordable. I upgraded to a premium seat for about $35 and got an additional 6 inches of room and ended up in a row by myself from DCA to LAX. It was GREAT!
I have only flown a handful of times in my life, but I did take SW once. It was nice not to have to worry about the baggage fees, as you said. I don’t remember anything happening on the flight, which is probably a good thing. The latest experience I had was with Spirit, who charges for everything under the sun to keep their fares low.
I was actually a huge fan of Airtran. I’m not sure how I am feeling about the merger. Southwest came to Atlanta last year. I’ve flown them once. I don’t have any complaints. I can say the prices are a little higher than Airtran’s were though.
Jason @ The Butler Journal My in-laws used airtran all the time and they haven’t been a fan since the merger. Planes tend to get stalled for repairs and service has gone down. To top it off, they announce the pet fee is going up… $95! It will cost more to fly the cat as carry-on than it will for the human passenger’s ticket sometimes…
I’ve been looking at the baggage fees more lately, on normal US companies you have an 80lb allowance from Guatemala to Europe and it is worth paying extra if you bring a lot of things with you. They also cut you some slack on the carry on’s size.
i use United and Hawaiian airlines as there is no Southwest here. Since I fly enough I avoid baggage fees, those are a pain in the ass. Being loyal to one airline pays off.
Charles@gettingarichlife Ah Hawaiian airlines! They always have giveaways but I haven’t won yet. One of these days ;)
DC @ Young Adult Money I’ve been hoping to win one of their giveaways as well. I always enter in the off chance it could one day happen.
I have heard some great things about Southwest. I have never been on one of their planes but I so want to give them a try. It might be worth paying a few extra dollars for phennominal customer service.
I’ve had a lot of good experiences with Jet Blue. It’s nice to know that you can still get a free bag and snacks SOMEWHERE.
brokeandbeau I’m a Jet Blue fan myself! Plus, it’s a bit roomier than most planes.
I’m with you: I love Southwest! I hate flying anything else now. I feel like other airlines keep trying to upsell you so much (more legroom for $15 more, more bags for $25 more) that it makes you feel like they don’t want your business if you’re “only” buying a round trip ticket. US Air is at the top of my shitlist for this kind of behavior. If I can fly Southwest, I do it.
From my experience, Southwest is much more expensive to fly out of NYC than most other carriers. I have had a Delta card for over two years (platinum version) so I get my free checked bags and miles. With my free bags on Delta, my flights are always significantly cheaper than Southwest.