Southwest Airlines

I am 16 years old and recently travelled with Southwest by myself. I was nervous as this was only my second time flying. I flew SAT to BWI return. I found all of the staff to be courteous and the pilot made regular announcements. Even though there was a delay at BWI the staff kept everyone informed they quickly boarded us and flight actually was shorter than expected. I liked the open seating by paying the extra $10 for early check in I was in the first boarding group and got a window seat on both flights.

I have flown over 100 flights on Southwest and have not had a bad flight. Back in the old days when the first in line got to board first we always arrived early to get the best seats. Now that Southwest issues boarding numbers we always pay the extra $10 to get priority boarding. The system of having no assigned seats is much more efficient and gets the plane off the ground much faster. Like many others I am disappointed that the Rapid Rewards Program has changed. It was a very generous program now it is similar to most of their competitors.

Tampa-New Orleans. First time on a US low- cost good price for tickets. Cabin crew friendly flight crew professional. I was impressed with the seat pitch in Economy for a short sector on B737. I am 6 ft 2 inch but was comfortable compared with Transatlantic B777. I always prefer preselection of seating and not sure why SW are averse. I would happily pay a supplement.

First time with Southwest as they have only recently begun servicing Newark. EWR-SAN connecting in PHX and Chicago-Midway. Booked hotel and rental car as well. Very pleased with the over all experience. Everything was exactly as stated. I enjoyed the extra inch of legroom compared to my usual airline (Continental). Flight attendants friendly and helpful with frequent offerings of refreshments and snacks. I would like to see them expand their Newark service because I would use them any day.

Southwest avoids punishing customers with extra fees such as change cancellation or bag check fees where possible. If you happen to check your bags late they will accept them and try their best to get them on the plane often faster than you can make it to the gate. If it's too late to check the bags they will place them on the next flight. A-List membership allowed me to bypass check-in and security lines and get preferred boarding almost always resulting in 'first class' seating in the emergency exit row. Companion Pass allowed me to travel around the country with a good friend on the weekends I wasn't commuting for a whole year. Personalized birthday and holiday cards were also nice touches.

It's very little hassle flights are almost always on time customer service is great. I enjoy the occasional jokes over the PA and the creative ways of doing the safety briefing. I like the first come-first seated policy. In terms of their cabins I find that they have good leg room that's a big selling point for me at 6'2.

My wife and I have flown Southwest often in the past. We've watched the past couple years as Southwest has made cutbacks and the value of their service has declined. Our primary frustration with Southwest comes from a recent flight where we were abandoned in the Denver airport. We arrived at our departure gate in Austin to find the plane running late. When we landed in Denver I checked our connection to see that it was boarding. We arrived to see they had closed the door. We were frustrated that they wouldn't hold the plane for a few minutes to allow connecting passengers to board. We spent the night in a chilly airport and offered no dinner or breakfast voucher.

PHX-GEG roundtrip. Stop in OAK each way with change of planes outbound. Good trip all flights on time. Seats comfortable FA's were friendly. Only complaint would be collecting bag in PHX upon return. Took over 45 mins at when only 3-4 other flights there. Apparently the conveyor belt kept jamming but they stopped/started no less than 4 times before it was spitting out bags so fast everyone was having issues getting their bags off the belt.

I loved the fact that their system for boarding a plane uses physical structure as well as simple written and verbal directions. It's very effective. I liked that I could choose from multiple snacks and take multiple bags if I wanted. The stewardesses were very friendly.

Will use this airline again when travelling in the US. We flew San Diego to Las Vegas and SW was the only one that offered a direct flight at less than half the price and as a family of 7 we got to sit together. The flight attendants were very friendly.