Southwest Airlines Passenger Reviews and Southwest Airlines Customer Trip Reports

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RNO-ONT-RNO. All flights on time, if not a little early. Staff pleasant, ground crew pleasant. Made a brief stop in Vegas on the way to Ontario and a brief stop in Oakland on the way back. Very quick turn around times. Full flights on all sectors and staff even managed to do a quick beverage service on a 35 minute flight. Southwest has a good product and I will continue to be a pleased customer.

Take Southwest weekly from Portland, OR to Las Vegas. Flights in the morning have been on time. Late night returns have run from 45 mins to 2 hours delayed. Flight crews are excellent and professional. 4 non-stops between Portland and Las Vegas during the work week, 2 bags checked bags free and no change fees keep me a loyal customer. Besides the later return flights and Southwest frequent schedule changes I have nothing but praise for this airline.

Columbus ticket counter was rude and condescending. Flight was delayed getting to Chicago. On leg from Chicago to PDX, our previous flight delay made us the last to enter the plane. We were traveling with a 6 week old baby and a 4 year old. The flight crew did not try to help us by asking people to move seats, so we were separated for the flight. It was a terrible experience. It has been a while since we flew SW, but I can say that we will avoid this airline as much as possible.

Excellent fare! I flew round-trip from DAL (Dallas Love Field) to SEA (Seattle) for $228. round-trip. All flights arrived within 10 minutes of scheduled times. The flights in both directions stopped in Albuquerque. Inflight service was consistent. We had crew changes in ABQ in both directions. Although all crews were fine, some were better than others.

We had an issue with our tickets and time our flight was to leave Indy, Southwest had cancelled our original flight, but had not notified us that our flight was leaving at 6.45 vs 8.10, therefore we missed our flight. The Southwest staff at Indy were very apologetic and helpful, they placed on the next flight out, which was a direct flight, bought us breakfast and gave us vouchers to use in the future. Flight crew on this flight were excellent!

Horrible experience, we sat in the plane for an hour only to realize that the flight was cancelled because a small plastic emergency sign would not illuminate! I suspect there was more to it than that, because the plane was empty on around 20 people on board. Everyone on board suspected that they cancelled this flight because it was empty. There were no more flights out that night and we had to be in Phoenix by 7:30 am for a competition. So after getting the cold shoulder from the front desk and a voucher that she was to lazy to put in my name, and she couldn't refund our flight! (we had to do that the next day). We drove all night to make the competition the next morning.

I have taken several flights recently from Denver to Burbank CA. Each time we left on time and usually arrival ahead of time. The Early Bird Check-in is well worth the few dollars. Having two free bags to check-in enabled me to avoid the part I usually dread - hoisting the bag into the overhead locker. The customer service was great! The other thing I really appreciate is having porters at the airport to check in the bags.

Five flights over the last two weeks Islip to BWI to ATL to MDW to LAX then San Diego to Oakland, all left and arrived on time, effortless check in. Comfortable seats and reasonable leg room. All in all an experience that beats all other US domestic carriers. I have platinum elite status with another carrier here but for domestic flights Southwest beat them hands down.

The prices are great and the staff on the airplane are always friendly. The staff on the ground/at the gate are always less than desirable. My husband and I have flown Southwest 3 times in the last year from Baltimore and all 3 times I have a seat, but he is on Standby. They overbook flights all the time and then act like they're doing me a favor by finding someone else to take a later flight. I paid for my ticket(s) at least 2-3 months in advance. The customer service is absolutely awful at BWI. Never again.

Last Monday (3/18/13), flight 1990 from SNA to SJC was 20 minutes late, and this raised the possibility that the plane would not be able to take off before the 10pm airport curfew. The gate agent repeatedly motivated us to expedite our boarding. The flight took off before the curfew, and the cabin crew provided their usual friendly service during flight. We arrived at SJC only 10 minutes behind schedule despite the late departure. For non-stop flights, this airline remains my top choice for domestic flights.

Took two flights with Southwest during March - New Orleans to Nashville, and Nashville to Newark. We were delayed a few hours on the Nashville-Newark trip due to bad weather but were kept informed at all times and we were impressed by the good humour and personalities of the flight and cabin crew. Definitely worthwhile checking in online 24 hours prior to flight as you can get a good position in the queue for boarding. Overall, a great budget option comparable to our home grown equivalent Virgin Australia. We were rewarded with a $100 travel voucher for the delay from Nashville also - much appreciated. Would definitely recommend Southwest.

We flew from MSP into Las Vegas and had a great flight. Staff at the check in gate were friendly and had a sense of humor! Staff aboard plane were helpful and had a smile! A pleasant change from many airlines we have flown on. The fact that there is no extra baggage fee, free snack and free beverage just added to the enjoyment of the flight. Our plane out of Las Vegas was delayed and the connecting flight in Denver actually waited for us! We'll book again.

BUF-MSP-BUF (Feb 28/Mar 8). Excellent value for money and definitely a winning proposition hands down when compared to flying from Pearson (YYZ). Both legs arrived before time. Efficient operation with crew (both apt and air) always on the ball with updates. On the return leg, they scheduled a Boeing 737-900, (bright and with lots of overhead cabin space) to accommodate the additional load due to storm cancellation the day before. BUF and MDW do not have the best options for food, but you can always find something ok. Don't count on much for breakfast at MSP if flying out early.

Traveling from MCO to BDL, plane had a mechanical problem at MCO and we were forced into a delay of 4 hours. They gave every passenger a $200 voucher for the inconvenience. As usual fantastic crew and even provided us with free cocktails.

March 8th our air travel with another carrier completely fell through (weather related issues). We went to the Southwest ticket counter to see if there was any possibility they could help us. Several different options were given even though we had a tight schedule and were looking to leave ASAP! Once aboard the flight the bins had great room (although, some people really do push the size of their carry-on to ridiculous proportions). Seats were comfortable (even for my husband who has a bad leg) snacks were good and the inflight crew were great!

CMH-MDW-LGA return. Definitely a value airline when the tickets are purchased well in advance at a cheap price. Southwest offers up to 2 free baggage check-ins and that definitely beats most other airlines who charge extra for checked-in baggage. You get a free drink and peanuts/pretzels so cannot complain. The real negative thing about WN may be its inability to accrue miles on major mileage systems. They have their own system, but the benefits are quite limited even when you become the A-list. Another downside of WN may be its tight operation of aircraft's. As they operate on such a tight schedule one delay could trigger something like a domino effect. My final concern is about the seating order as somehow more and more people seems to be getting priority status so even a web check-in well in advance will barely get you in the A section. As a matter of fact I have been hearing that even with Early Bird Check-in purchase the seating order may turn out to be worse than you expected. Definitely something WN may have to work on.

Our flight from San Jose to Phoenix was cancelled because the Portland flight had a light bulb go out and they took the plane that was designated for Phoenix. We had paid for early bird seating and had numbers A31 & 32 but were given numbers B21 & 22 and had to sit in the middle seats. It was a miserable flight!

Got stuck in Kansas City last night due to the storm and was the only flight out before Friday so I jumped on. Well, even with the new seating line-up and a B assignment so I was able to snag an aisle seat, it still was pretty unpleasant. Plane was full, ran out of overhead bins, people were grumpy, seats seemed really tight and just overall was not a very good experience. I was willing to pay extra for "business class" but they were already taken. I might be in the minority, however, I will gladly pay a little more for an assigned seat, plenty of overhead and a slightly less full flight on some of the other carriers that I fly on a weekly basis. This is not an airline for business travelers. Hopefully I won't be seeing myself on a SouthWest flight anytime soon.

Several flights over the last couple of months, the most recent which was DAL-STL-BWI-LIT-DAL. Online check-in and bag check has been painless, crews have been friendly and occasionally even entertaining, and all flights have either been on-time if not a little early. Flights have been on a variety of 737s (300, 500, and 700 series), both with the new and old seats. All seats provide 32-33" pitch, and better legroom than most domestic carriers. However, planes with the newer seats can be a little uncomfortable on the thighs after 3 hours or so, beware on longer flights. Price of WiFi has recently been increased to $8, or $5 for streaming TV/movies only, but you can access Southwest.com, a shopping site, and a flight tracker for free. Free soft drinks are provided, along with either peanuts/pretzels and/or a bag of chips (only on longer flights). I paid for EarlyBird on some flights, checked in exactly 24 hours before on others, and forgot a couple of times and checked in a few hours after. Beware that if you either don't pay for EarlyBird or forget to check-in exactly 24 hours in advance, you will end up in the mid-B group, and you will have your carry-on checked as bin space runs out by that point. Also, on the most recent DAL-STL leg, I got stuck with a B boarding pass despite paying for EarlyBird. Otherwise, no real problems at all.

Flew round-trip St Louis to Omaha. Both flights left on time and arrived even a little early. FAs were friendly and smiled. I checked in online 24 hours before and got a good boarding number both times. The planes were clean and the leather seats were comfortable. All in all, Southwest is a good product.

I question Southwest Airline's Earlybird Check-in. Today's flight from Ft. Myers Florida to Philadelphia, PA, Flight 1431. I had booked and purchased "Earlybird" check-in back on 8/22/12. I was given Boarding Pass #B- 4. I sat next to someone who did not have "Earlybird Check-in, and checked-in hours before the flight and was given Boarding Pass A-36. This is not the first time this has happened to me.

SJC (San Jose, CA) to SNA (Orange County, CA) on Dec 31, 2012, return Jan 2, 2013. Both flights within 15 minutes of scheduled departure time. Orderly boarding, gate agents professionally enforcing the A–B–C boarding-group sequence. Power outlets at the SNA gates seating areas! On-line check-in exactly 24 hours before both flights gave me an 'A' boarding group on both flights. Pilots and Flight Attendants announcements were a nice mix of professional and funny. Both flights were brief (less than 60 minutes in the air) but FA's still managed to give us a free drink and a peanut/pretzel snack. Two suitcases flew for free. To top things off, these flights were, by far, the most economical option for this round-trip trek. For domestic, direct flights, Southwest continues to be my preferred carrier.

Dec 20, 2012, Oakland to Los Angeles. Plane returned after 30 minutes in flight to departure airport due to a landing gear problem. When we got back to Oakland, told 'this plane is going nowhere'. In 20 minutes we were placed in another plane. 35 minutes on and we had to return to Oakland. Returned to Oakland. I arrived to LA on a third plane, missed my international flight and have to pay $414 US dollars to fly 2 days after my planned departure date. Give. a $100 voucher.

Flying home for the holidays, Southwest cancelled my flight, then offered to book me four days later. I had to book my own flight on a different airline to get in before the holidays. Southwest never notified me that my flight was cancelled? On the way back, we were delayed 4 hours when Southwest decided to re-route our plane to another city. No explanation. The pilot actually made an announcement to clarify that it wasn't his fault.

Recently flew from Dallas Love Field to Louisville, Ky with multiple stops round-trip. All flights were on time with consistent inflight service. The boarding process was fair and orderly. I had an A boarding number on both flights while checking in exactly 24 hours before departure.

Reno - Vegas - Reno. As usual all went well and we were informed of any delays which were only 15 minutes or so. Good service on both flights. Crew were genuine and helpful. Ground staff pleasant and you still can't beat the two free checked bags. Southwest has a good product and will continue to get my business.

Flew from Albany, NY to LAX via Chicago MDW and returned a week later. On time flights, good service, pleasant crews and no baggage problems on any of the 4 flights. Most of the cabin crews showed a refreshing sense of humor. Nice airline to fly. Flew "Business Select".

My latest roundtrip from SJC-PHX-SJC was, as usual, excellent. Flights left on time and arrived early. Customer service on the ground and onboard was excellent with pleasant staff. Checked in bags, free for the first two on this airline, arrived intact and quickly. A superb experience when compared with the so-called full service domestic carriers within the US.

ORF-MDW. 737-700 was clean and nice. Snacks served, the seats were comfortable leather, and FA's were attentive and helpful. Departed and landed on time. Only complaint: With the open seating, my mother and I were put in boarding group B31-60, and couldn't sit together.

My husband and I flew from Las Vegas to Baltimore return. The seats are small and extremely uncomfortable, no elbow room. The seat cushions were thin and caused tail bone pain. We will never fly Southwest again for a flight longer than 1.5 hours. Clearly passenger comfort, even on a flight of almost 5 hours, is not a priority to Southwest.

Flew non-stop from Hartford to Las Vegas and back. Flights were delayed and overbooked. No meal service available, food consisted of an assortment of mini ritz, peanuts, etc. Beverage menu was good.

RNO-DEN-RNO. All went well. On time except for return flight in which they held the plane 15 minutes for some connecting passengers that were on their way. We were kept informed. Crew were pleasant on all flights. The captain stood by the exit and said his thank you as we all exited. Baggage arrived safely except mine was covered in snow in Denver.

BWI-DFW-BWI in Big Front Seats. Had misgivings about flying Spirit but decided to give them a chance due to perfect non-stop flight schedule for my meetings and cost savings (Spirit was half the price, even after paying extra fees to carry-on bag and Big Front Seat, equivalent to a standard US domestic first class seat). Pleasantly surprised: reasonably orderly boarding experience, new airplane, clean cabin, professional crew, and on-time flights both ways. Would fly them again.

Concerns my wife who flew from Minneapolis with a connecting flight in St. Louis. Final destination Kansas City. Plane left Mpls on time, arrived in St. Louis 30 minutes late but were assured connecting flights would hold. Upon arrival the flight left for St. Louis about 10 minutes before the arrival of my wife's flight. There were 18 people on the Mpls flight headed for KC. So presumably the flight to KC had 18 empty seats. Next flight left approximately two hours later. Upon arrival in St. Louis there was no one at the desk, they had to hunt down an SW employee to find out what was going on.

San Diego to San Francisco. Just how a budget airline should operate. No frills but easy check in, comfortable seats, clean plane, on time departure and a sensible boarding system. Never used before but very impressed and all for just $50.

Connecting flight from Indianapolis to Austin. No choice but to fly. Got to Dallas and have been stuck on the tarmac for over 2 hours and counting. I could have driven from Dallas to Austin. The car is faster, less hassle and more reliable for these trips. I have to travel back to Dallas tomorrow and you can bet it will be on 4 wheels!

San Jose, CA [SJC] to Seattle, WA [SEA] on 10/10/12, returning on 10/14/12. Flight time is only 1:45 and maybe this is why I didn't mind having no video or audio entertainment, there was WiFi access available for purchase. First time dealing with their reservations system via phone, and the process of re-booking was quick, clear, and painless. Flights were on time, cabin crew friendly and efficient, soft drink, peanuts and cheese crackers were free, and my checked bag was free. I look forward to flying with them again for the holidays in December.

Most recently I flew round trip from Bradley in Hartford CT to BWI. Southwest is definitely a mixed bag. I guess if you have a small barking dog, it's great for you. Unfortunately, if you are stuck on the plane in the vicinity of this yapping dog which yapped incessantly for the entire flight, it's not so great. If you were lucky enough to get an "A" ticket, that's wonderful, but if you end up with "C" like I did, that means you are forced to fend for yourself to try and find space in the overstuffed overhead bins. Since I don't check baggage, and can never seem to be lucky enough to get an "A" ticket, I'll only fly Southwest out of sheer necessity. It's always a free-for-all stampede of confusion-in this case the flight was overbooked, so you've got people milling about, unsure what's up. The space for standing in line for the flight is ludicrous, since the line is largely ignored by most-like standing in line at the movie theatre for tickets-all of a sudden people just happen to show up to join their party, and cut in front of you without an excuse me or any kind of courtesy whatsoever. Flying on Southwest is like getting on a bus-no assigned seats. You definitely feel like part of the herd, only difference is you do get a couple of packages of peanuts and a cold drink from a smiling flight attendant.

I travel from the Washington area to Denver several times a year. Previously I used United but I am increasingly using Southwest. The flights are cheaper and the quality of service is higher. My only complaint about Southwest is that the seat could have used a little more padding. I realize delays due to weather or other problems occur, but United lies about the cause.

Flew round-trip SJC-LAS-SJC, outbound on Sep 11 (flight 328), returning on Sep 14 (flight 259). The outbound flight was delayed 4 hours. Initially we had to wait for a couple of hours due to bad weather in LAS. That issue is not the airline's responsibility, of course. However, after we were told that LAS airport was open again, we were delayed by about an hour because staff were not able to match the people on board with their passenger manifest. Cabin crew went through the cabin 3 times counting the number of passengers. A ground staff member went through the plane and checked our ID's, one by one. Passengers were getting irritated as the clock ticked. Eventually they figured out that 1) a passenger made it into the plane without turning in a boarding pass, and, 2) a passenger was now without ID because the ground person checking the ID's left the aircraft with the ID and did not return it to the passenger. / Overall, I think it was "nicely done under the circumstances" but the ground/gate agent(s) made things harder for the passengers and the cabin crew. The return flight from LAS to SJC was uneventful. The airfare was substantially cheaper than their competition, and service was nice once we got airborne. I still recommend SWA to my friends and relatives for short, non-stop trips.

LAX-OAK on a 737-300. Even though the flight was under an hour, they gave us a free soft drink as well as a snack. Flight attendants good. Got good value for money, flights very cheap and bags were free.

Flew SW from Denver to Philadelphia on 7 September. Flight was delayed by an hour due to weather in the Philadelphia area but we were kept informed of changes which was good. Boarding was nowhere near as stressful as I imagined (compared to the UK low cost carriers) and managed to get a window seat. Seats are very comfortable with adequate legroom, certainly as much as any other airline in economy. Crew were very friendly and attentive throughout the flight. Free soft drinks and as many snacks as you wanted were given out though no IFE. This flight had WI-FI which was good. Overall a pretty good flight which I would happily do again.

I flew with them last month between Las Vegas and Orange County. I have to say for a budget airline they include hold bags in their ticket price, a free non-alcoholic beverage and a bag of peanuts, that's more our European equivalents offer. A very comfortable leather seat with generous leg room and nice flight attendants. Checking in at the airport without my confirmation number to hand was easier than I first thought., The check in agent picked up on the fact I was not a non U.S citizen and checked us in.

I flew from Boston to Baltimore on Aug 28, aboard a 737-700. Great experience all around. All staff friendly and helpful. Plane was clean, seats in good shape. Very comfortable seats. All pax had arrived at the gate early so we boarded and pushed back almost 15 minutes early, so of course we arrived early. Short, easy flight but they still offered complementary peanuts and soda, water or juice. This plane was Row 44 WiFi equipped so it was available for $5. I didn't try it because it was just a 55 minute flight. I had a great experience with Southwest, no hesitation to fly them again.

ORF-CLE with a stopover at Chicago Midway. On the first leg of the journey, it was a Boeing 737-700, and the flight attendants were fun to be around. Leather seats were nice and comfy, and the drinks were good. They even gave out complimentary bags of peanuts, which most airlines don't do any more. On the flight to Cleveland, it was a 737-300, which was older but nice, we got peanuts again.

I have been on 6 flights in two days and all flights have been top notch. Take off on time, arrive early. Boarding fast and hassle free. The gate staff are nice as are flight crew. I am really impressed and highly recommend SWA.

LAX-MDW-IAD-TUC-LAX. First the bad - 4 hour delay at Midway and only found out about it after peering into gate agents screen. Line-up by numbers worked well and even with a C 10 we managed to get a window seat (at the back). Snacks quite good and booze cheap. On the 4 hour delay flight (to IAD) there were only around 20 of us left and FA's did their level best to help us all out and make us comfortable. I think they were on the 12th hour of a long day. Better than most US domestics in my opinion.

ONT-OAK and, later SMF-ONT. For the first flight, we booked a 2-3 weeks in advance (unfortunately, just as fares jumped, as seemed to occur every few days) and paid the $10 "Early Bird" fee, but still had numbers in the low 40s. So no chance of bulkhead or emergency row. Did better on the second flight, and managed to get first row bulkhead seats. Free drinks, but only a cup (you don't get the can). Flights were pretty much on time.

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