Southwest Airlines

✅ Trip Verified | Deceptive and misrepresenting their low fares. Last minute cancellation of my original carrier, Delta, made it necessary to make an alternative flight plan. Southwest ticketing agent informed me that the flight was sold out of lower fares and only the higher fares were available. The 1 way ticket price from Indianapolis to Orlando was $414.98. Traveling with my son required 2 tickets, $829.96. Boarding the plane it was empty, hence we were lied to reqarding the availability of lower fares. We were simply gouged with the higher fare because of urgent circumstances. Called the corporate headquarters of Southwest and they gave me the story that low fares are not available for disparate last minute travelers. The attendant on the flight stated that lower fares were available for this flight as it is low demand flight. This simply is a poor business practice for an airline that markets low fares and has the deceptive image of a friendly and customer service oriented. In the future when I fly again I will try to avoid this airline.

✅ Trip Verified | Detroit to New York. Worst flight experience to date. I am currently stranded in Chicago with a flight to NYC from Detroit. Our first flight was delayed 4 hours and then cancelled. I got rebooked on a later flight which has now been delayed for the 3rd time. I called customer service only to be told by the supervisor that there's nothing they can do. If you want to be stuck in an airport all day with no compensation, go to Southwest. If you actually want a quality flight, avoid this airline at all costs.

Not Verified | Providence to Ft Lauderdale. You check in early to get a good boarding group number (B2-4), when you get on the plane one attendant is reserving a row for someone whose other family members are at the end of the boarding line, so now the 3 people you’re traveling with can’t be seated together and have to be separated when it’s first come first serve based on boarding number. They don’t assign seats but then they reserve seats? Umm not okay and completely inappropriate. This is not the first time they have reserved seats or a row for people who checked in late and are in the end of the boarding line. I gave them a second chance and same result, so I can verify I will not travel Southwest in the future. They can keep their 1st bag free policy I rather have assigned seating and sit with who I came with!

✅ Trip Verified | Southwest Airlines cancelled our flight and could not get us on another for over 24 hours leaving us stranded in New York. We had no place to stay and the cheapest room we could find was over $600. Southwest said it was not their responsibility and gave us $100 vouchers to fly with them again as compensation. I am upset and disappointed at SWA’s lack of responsibility and would avoid them at all costs. They do not care about their passengers, even when it was their issue that cancels your flight.

✅ Trip Verified | Dallas to Philadelphia. Horrible, we had a direct flight they cancelled our flight last minute gave us a connecting flight, this is the fourth time they did this to us. Seems to me [and other passengers] they sell on a direct flight and cancel the last minute. Other people we knew traveled on other airlines with direct flights they had no problems. So Southwest can not use the weather as their typical excuse

✅ Trip Verified | I have been a loyal SW Air passenger for years. I fly once a month, at least. For a while, the service has been subpar. Flights are late, like tonight, with my connecting flight, or earlier in July, on my last flight. On my last flight, I noticed a crack near my window. I told one of the attendants and she seemed annoyed. Tonight, I was checked in 40 minutes before the flight and was told my bag probably wouldn’t make it. At the gate in San Antonio, I asked one of the attendants if my bag had made it. She said she had no way to check. Really? This decline started a few years ago when their gift cards for a free drink came with an expiration date. What kind of gift is that?

✅ Trip Verified | Salt Lake City to Los Angeles. As I sit on the tarmac for about 20 min now I’m writing this. What a horrible day. We were 1st delayed in SLC flight was suppose to leave at 7:05 then 8:35 and then finally 8:50 and actually departing around 9:15ish. For a flight that has been already delayed you would think that someone would have done something other than leave us on the plane for approaching 30 min now. So many people are now missing connection flights. Me personally had a dinner engagement for someone’s birthday who drove out all the way from Palm Springs. Well you guess it that plan was completely ruined and they have now been waiting around and can not even get into the hotel room to wait. SW really needs to get these things figured out. BTW definitely not the 1st time this has happened and really deciding to pay the extra to fly with some other airline as I have not really had this problem with United or American also no WiFi and no inflight entertainment I fly close to 50 times per year.

Not Verified | New York to Amarillo. I was supposed to get home at 3:00 PM. I got home at 2:00 AM. However, because the day was such a disaster, I would love to add extra vilification. The day started off with a casual 4:00 wake up call since security is especially hard being in a family of 10. But, looking back, that was the only part of my day that went right at all. After arriving at the gate on time for our 6:30 AM flight, the airline promptly updated the online southwest app of an hour delay but did not inform any of us in person. An hour later, the crew announced that there were difficulties with an essential radio in the cabin. Regardless, we were all lined up and loaded into the plane anyway. But the plane never took off. Four more hours later, we waited for them to call out all of our names as a role call. However, they still pulled us all off, lined us up, and started it all over again. That flight had no further problems, but we missed both of the connecting flights. Only due to several miracle cancellations were we even able to get the two more flights to Amarillo. The second flight was from 5-6, and, aside from a couple hour layover, proceeded as planned. The third flight was scheduled, at first, to be from 10:00-11:00 PM. Then it was delayed one hour, again with the gate not informing us of the reason for or the hindrance itself. Then it was delayed another half hour. Then another. And then finally we were able to reach Amarillo. As a disclaimer, however, we were fairly compensated monetarily for the disaster. Another less fortunate woman missed her son’s wedding as a result of the flight inefficiency.

✅ Trip Verified | SouthWest SMF-DAL, HOU-SEA, SEA-SMF We flew 3 legs in the USA with SouthWest and were quite impressed. All staff we had dealings with were pleasant and helpful, with the exception of a big man at kerbside check-in at Seattle who blatantly asked for a tip. That was the only negative about this efficient and professional operation. The airline offers passengers 2 checked bags for free, along with carry-on items and a discount fare for seniors. Each passenger is allocated a boarding number and must queue in order prior to boarding the plane. No seats are allocated and passengers choose where they want to sit, with the earlier on-line check- ins and business class getting a higher priority. This boarding procedure expedites the process resulting in a very rapid embarkation. The three flights we took departed and arrive on, or close to, time. On board and boarding lounge announcements varied from good, to too fast to be understood, or inaudible. The crew hand out free snacks, coffee and non-alcoholic drinks. Stronger stuff is available at a price. The seat spacing is generous compared to Australian low-cost carriers with 5 inches (13cm.) between my knees and the back of the seat in front. Interestingly, only a handful of passengers reclined their seats. All crew were friendly and some chatty making for a pleasant journey. I mislaid my wallet in Sacramento Airport and the SouthWest staff in Dallas were exceptionally helpful, understanding and sympathetic.

✅ Trip Verified | My niece lives with me and her mom (my sister) at our family ranch in Texas part of the time and the other part she lives in CA with her father. I have always used Dallas Lovefield Southwest Airlines for her to fly. Her mom and I always accompany her to the gate. It is an important time for us to be able to say our goodbyes. It is especially hard on her mom when we say goodbye and I am usually there to smooth things over. This time the ticketing person did not allow me to go. He said only one person can accompany. Meanwhile my niece starts crying tears running down her face and i have to tell her i cannot accompany her. I asked to talk to a supervisor and she was very rude and told me no and that the person who let 2 people before should not have done that. I have always used southwest for your friendly accommodations and i will not anymore. My niece was devastated and the supervisors lack of empathy was disheartening. I'm sure that if the supervisor was dropping off her child more than one person could drop her off. I was humiliated and my niece was devastated.