Soo I think Im going to try the other side [Southwest]

Hi getting ready to book airfare for December and looking at Southwest at 260 pp out of
Detroit. Well lets say that Ive seen post after post bragging on Southwest.And looking at giving them
a try.First off let me say this that I have been to Vegas 28 times usually 3 times a year and of those
28 times Ive flown with Spirit every single time but once they usually have good prices,hell I have got
round trips in the past for 79.00 but things have changed job wise recently and it not really worth the $9
fare club anymore as I am down to one trip a year.Don't get me wrong I would sit on the floor to go to Vegas
and really no bad experiences with them.
I guess I would like to know about the whole Southwest thing in a nut shell one good thing is the 2 bags
going in December for a week you need a lot of clothes last year we had to be under 40 lbs and had to pack
jeans in our personal item bag.I have read about the seating a bit but things like the refund thing/seat size
I am 6-4.Is 260 a good price. Make me a convert.Thanks for your time.

 

Why do I like SWA? Convenient, good prices, 2 free checked bags, can rebook without penalty (even get a credit if I find a lower fare), easy to earn miles with their CC.
But I think you will find the actual flight experience more alike than different.
As far as seat size-DH is 6'2" & 200 lbs, DF is 5'10" and 250 lbs., neither has commented on seat size. Might be worth it to pay for early boarding & snag a exit row seat?

 

We've been flying SWA exclusively for the past 8 years. btw the baggage limit is 50#, not 40.
Not much to add, they are usually on time, friendly attendants and the free, rebooking is wonderful. And they fly non-stop to the destinations we like to visit. Vegas, Phoenix, Seattle etc.

 

SWA is a flying grayhound bus and I avoid it at all costs. Cattle call seating is not for me. Even the extra $12 for early boarding will not guarantee you a emergency exit row if you need extra leg room (I am 6'5") and the few times I have had to fly SWA I ended up seated next to crazy people. I would much rather pay a few extra bucks for the seat I want and upgrade to extra leg room or first class if I want, but I have friends that only fly SWA so they are doing something right. There is an airline for everyone. You should try it and see if it works for you.

 

Yep. You will either love it or hate it. There are those who fly SWA and those who don't. IMO, their *only* redeeming quality is the free change/cancel options.

Your flight from DTW to LAS will likely have a plane change. Something else to consider.

 

I am a huge Southwest fan. KKB already hit most of the highlights: two free bags, no change fees or penalties. The biggest "issue" for people is their boarding process. You can start checking in exactly 24 hours before the flight time. Boarding passes are assigned in order of people checking in. There are no assigned seats, so first come, first served... thus the "cattle call" and "grayhound bus" descriptions. Some people love it, others hate it. I understand both sides of the argument, especially if you are travelling with family. If priority boarding is important to you, you can sign up for "Early Bird" check in for $25 round trip, which automatically checks you in and reserves an "A" boarding group slot.

Alcohol is cheaper on SWA than other airlines, in my experience. There are no meals, just peanuts or other snacks. Seat size is about par. I mostly fly SWA and United, and the seat spacing is bigger than the standard economy on United. I am 6'1" 280 lbs, so I am sensitive to tight seating! Most SWA planes have inflight wifi for a fee.

They have a good app for your smart phone or tablet. You can check in using the app - I highly recommend it.

 

I can fly any airline I want and I choose SWA. I fly 15-20 round trips a year. I get great service, am almost always on time and I arrive in one piece. To be fair, I'm always one of the first 10 people to board the plane, but I don't get the "cattle-call" criticism... how freekin' tough is it? You board according to your number and pick any empty seat... then sit the hell down. Certainly the deeper you get in the boarding process the fewer available seats there will be, so read the various tips we share with everyone here to board earlier. There's lots of options to fly... Southwest planes are almost always full. That ought to tell you somethin'... Need an assigned seat ahead of time? Fly another airline.

 

+1 on this. We fly maybe 6 round trips per year on SWA. The only problem we have ever had was the time I got a "little" inebriated in Vegas and forgot to do the 24 hr check-in for our return flight. The end check-in of the C group is not good for seat selection.

 

I absolutely love SW, their boarding policy is one of the main reasons, I can almost always sit in the first 3 or 4 rows - with delta I'm forced to the back since they save all their good seats for "favored people", as others said you can cancel and rebook for free, the frequent flyer program is far superior, and their flights just seem better run.

 

While I'm only 6', I have long legs and have always found the aisle seats comfortable enough (conceding that the 5" difference could be huge). On two of my flights, I was able to get the bulkhead row, which has more than enough legroom.

I won't try to change you mind, but I will say that I've sat next to crazy people on SWA, AA, Delta, American Eagle and Continental. To be fair, the crazy person on one of those flights was accompanying me.

 

We also fly SW exclusively from PHL. I have learned to love the boarding process b/c I can avoid the undesirables in selecting my seat-kids, extra large people, etc. If you have an assigned seat you're stuck with whomever happens to be seated next to you. Coupled with all that has been said about SW including low prices from PHL they will always be our first choice.

 

This. along w/ some of the other positive comments listed. My last trip to Vegas I missed my return flight home (long story). I woke up 30 minutes before departure, panicked, then called SWair. They rebooked me on a later flight in the day. No change fee, just a fee in the difference in airfare. Compare that to a recent dealing w/ another airline. I needed to rebook that flight and it was going to cost me $200 change fee plus the difference in airfare, and if I missed my first flight my return flight was going to be cancelled.
SW is the easiest airline to deal with IMO. The occasional free drink coupons are great (and unexpected) too.
I always attempt to fly SWA before any other airline. I'll even drive to OKC vs DAL if the price is right.

 

I'm another Southwest loyalist. We watch for sales and can usually get RT from AUS for under $300 pp, sometimes as low as $230. I also like the boarding process and don't it find it confusing or annoying at all. We usually buy Early Bird when travelling to/from Vegas, but if we don't have it for any reason, I just set an alarm on my phone and check in 24 hours before via the app on my phone.

The free bags are obviously a bonus, and I find the staff generally fun and pleasant.

 

Sorry for the dup post.

 

Thank. You.

I never understood the "cattle call" moniker SW gets. If cattle call means standing in line and being called for your boarding group, then MOOOOO!!

Besides, with SW, I am not screwed with baggage fees, change fees, seat choice fees, breathing the air fees, looking around fees.

 

I believe the "cattle call" tag is a hold-over from the earlier days of SWA when they used to just give out an A, B or C boarding card depending on when you arrived at the gate. I'm guessin' this was about 10 years ago. People would arrive sometimes a couple hours before the scheduled time and start standing in line at the gate for a card. The cards would start to be distributed an hour before take-off. It really was a bit of a circus then, as there was no printing anything out on your home computer or kiosk, etc. IMHO, all the "issues" went away when they went to the new system. Though to be fair, lots of people still refer to SWA process as a "cattle call" and many people prefer knowing weeks ahead of time, EXACTLY what seat they'll be sitting in... I'm not one of them.

That's not to say that things are prefect... you're dealing with the general public... there's still the individual that fights their way up to the lead (A-1) position, who's holding a B-45 boarding pass and when the gate agent tells her she's in the wrong place as she tries to board, she loudly proclaims, "OHHHH... this is SO stupid, where am I supposed to stand then???" Then as she walks back outta the way, she continues, "I've never seen anything so confusing in all my life!!!" to the other passengers who've managed to figure out all by themselves B-45 is behind B-44 and in front of B-46, but no need to even worry about it till all the A's board.

I also get the "Greyhound of the sky" label... you do see a real slice of Americana on Southwest planes, but I think you do on any low cost airline... the two go hand in hand...

 

I'm not a fan of waiting in line twice- first at those stupid numbers and then secondly, at the entrance to the plane (while everyone stows their carry-on luggage rather than utilize the free baggage check). The double line makes it feel like a cattle call, especially when the line waits are long.

 

This part I still don't get. Your first 2 bags fly free, and sometimes my bags arrive at the baggage carousel before I do!
My last SW flight ran out of room for carry-ons, so they had to do some swapping of bags and pillows in the overhead bins for a while, just so they could make enough room for one more bag.

 

Imo, Vegas has one of the fastest baggage returns of any airport we have flown into, but there are still the people who insist on using the biggest piece of carry-on they can and smash it into the overhead.

btw, I haven't seen a blanket or pillow on SWA in years.

 

I think SW has a great, time tested boarding system. The ability to check your first two bags is huge for golfers because your golf clubs can be one of those two bags. I always get early bird for Vegas as those flights are always packed and I prefer a window seat.

The biggest difference between SW and many of the other low cost carriers is that their employees generally seem to enjoy their jobs and have a pleasant demeanor (except when they have to deal with DB passengers).