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My SIL called me a few nights ago asking how she can get a refund on a plane ticket as her son would not be able to fly with the family this weekend. I told her to call Southwest and cancel the ticket and that she could use it on another flight in the next year.
Silence on the other line. "I used Expedia and booked on AA because the flights were $25 cheaper per person".
Well, you saved $100 on Expedia, paid $125 for bags, and you are eating a ticket. Not much savings there.
I always fly SWa because their frequent flier program is the best in existence (tied with Air Berlin with Jet Blue right behind them as a recent WSJ article pointed out, and because getting free flights on SWA is as easy as breathing, since every flight to every destination is available for freebies, even 'the last flight out on the day before Thanksgiving' according to their spokesman--try doing so on any other of the Big Five airlines and you'll get laughed out of the airport.
Frequent flyer availability often comes down to your home airport and where you're going. For me:
Using the Dread Sky Peso-
VPS-GRR Depart- Wednesday, November 25, return Sunday, November 29- 52.5K Delta miles
Using WN's frequent flyer program-
ECP-GRR 11/25/2015 to 11/29/2015- 52,104 points.
The WN requires me to create two different 'round trips' since their search engine will otherwise tell me I can't get there from here- it chokes when an itinerary would require more than about a 3 hour layover. It also requires me to go to an airport over an hour away instead of the one that is 20 minutes away, something that costs me an extra $75 in ground transportation costs.
Granted, it's a results not typical thing because my home airport is in some sort of DL sweet spot in terms of FF redemptions but it's a study in terms of why you need to run the numbers on individual routes with FF programs and see how it all sorts out. I know many people rave about United's easy saver redemption options, but most of the time it's hard to find a low level redemption from here to their houston hub with them.
I love flying SW and always purchase the early bird check in
I think SW is overrated. Because I live in TX, I'm risking bodily harm by admitting this. (Thank goodness this is an anonymous board). I don't like the open seating system at all. People are in such a rush to sit up front they are even more rude than usual scrambling to board, and it makes flying an even less pleasurable experience than it already is. I won't even go into the fact that they don't have enough routes, because that depends on where you're going.
There is not guarantee on other airlines that you will be seated together either.
If you book late in other airlines, you will probably not be sitting together. Book late on Southwest and there is still a chance you can sit together.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GiGi603
There is not guarantee on other airlines that you will be seated together either.
If you book late in other airlines, you will probably not be sitting together. Book late on Southwest and there is still a chance you can sit together.
yes... late... like the day of the flight! and early check-in. Seems the new thing is for one person to pay early and take a couple backpacks and coats and lay on the seats adjacent.
SWA open seating = "Get-on-and-GO" quickly. no / few JAMMED overheads. Friendly / crew and passengers.
YMMV.
Plenty of other choices of carriers if you like assigned seats, grumpy staff and passengers... and paying for changes / bags / cancellations.
SWA has had it's issues for me, but so far so good(~20 yrs 2 - 6 flights / month) , as compared to my 'premier' benefits on legacy carriers. (who are helpful, tho passengers and crew usually grumpy (entitled) and boarding is S-L-O-W...)
I prefer company's whose CEO's where denim Blue Jeans.
I think SW is overrated. Because I live in TX, I'm risking bodily harm by admitting this. (Thank goodness this is an anonymous board). I don't like the open seating system at all. People are in such a rush to sit up front they are even more rude than usual scrambling to board, and it makes flying an even less pleasurable experience than it already is. I won't even go into the fact that they don't have enough routes, because that depends on where you're going.
LOL. You'll probably get hung
I've never encountered any issues so far. Flown about 4 times including one coming up in Sept. Like I said before I just always pay the extra fee to board early so I don't run into those issues.
I love flying SW and always purchase the early bird check in
Just curious, whats the boarding position when you pay for the $13 early check in?
Is it A10 or higher?
Cause I've been just doing the plebian checkin (basically at the computer about 5min before the 24hour mark on my flight time, and just repeatedly hit check in to try to get in as soon as possible) and my earliest check in was I think something like A39....usually its later As or early Bs
So for $13, do you think its worth it, and how much higher in the line do you get? I'm thinking about doing the early check in if it can guarantee me something like A10 or higher or even...A15.
Just curious, whats the boarding position when you pay for the $13 early check in?
Is it A10 or higher?
Cause I've been just doing the plebian checkin (basically at the computer about 5min before the 24hour mark on my flight time, and just repeatedly hit check in to try to get in as soon as possible) and my earliest check in was I think something like A39....usually its later As or early Bs
So for $13, do you think its worth it, and how much higher in the line do you get? I'm thinking about doing the early check in if it can guarantee me something like A10 or higher or even...A15.
The first "X" number of A seats go to the people who buy the most expensive fares which guarantees them those seats. I think the highest you can get by hitting the check in button quick or buying the early check in is A20.
The first "X" number of A seats go to the people who buy the most expensive fares which guarantees them those seats. I think the highest you can get by hitting the check in button quick or buying the early check in is A20.
Ahh, good point. So A1-20 is likely business/expensive passengers.
I guess with the early bird, SWA prioritize those people to be electronically checked in vs the plebian way of "mass repeatedly hit check in button right around 24h checkin time."
Last time i missed the check in time online by about 5min and got in to the late Bs....so that was a bad situation.
I'm trying to decide of the $13 is worth it....I may opt for it next time if I can find a good deal on tickets overall when I visit the GF in denver.
Early Bird on a 'Wanna Get Away' fare has in our experience gotten us somewhere between A21-A34, which is normally good enough for two aisle seats in the same row in the front of the plane (our usual preferred seating pattern) and even often an aisle exit row seat.
IMO, very much worth it for us, even before accounting for how at 24 hours to check-in we will often be out in the middle of a national park that has spotty to no cell phone service.
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