Southwest Airlines

Houston to Newark roundtrip. Two free 50lb checked bags and a carry on and large purse. Staff are friendly planes always clean and leg room is good. They have been updating their fleet with newer restrooms cabin interior and wifi. They give free soda juice water and snacks. Charge for alcohol and energy drinks.

IND to MSY with a layover in MCO round trip. Flight attendants had conversations with passengers which gave all 4 of my flights a friendly atmosphere. All but 1 of my flights arrived early. Make sure you check-in as soon as you can so you aren't stuck with a middle seat.

LAX-LAS. Flight left/arrived on time. Quick 45 min flight from LA to Vegas free drink and snack served. Leg room ok as flight was completely full. Southwest allow 2 free checked bags as opposed to most other US airlines who charge for checked baggage.

BUF-LAX (via PHX) SAN-SFO and SFO-BUF (with a stop in MDW along the way). Paid $125 each way between BUF and LAX and between SFO and BUF and $49 for SAN-SFO. Fare included 2 free checked bags. Excellent value for price paid! All my flights arrived early and were operated by newish 737-700's. All flights (except SFO-BUF) were packed but I got the bulkhead window seats which were very comfortable. FA's were friendly especially on the BUF-PHX and MDW-BUF legs. Having Internet on my long return flight made the time fly by and for the most part it worked very well.

SJC to SNA return. I checked in online for both flights early enough to get an "A35" boarding position for both flights and that was good enough to get seats in an emergency exit aisle with great legroom. Both flights on time and flight attendants efficient and friendly. There is no inflight entertainment unless you bring a laptop to use their WiFi and you still get a free soft drink and peanuts/pretzels. Being able to check-in a suitcase for free is fantastic nowadays! I would rate the seat comfort very good.

Chicago Midway to Boston return. Flights operated by a relatively new 737-700. Both on time. Leg room is generous for a low cost carrier. Flight attendants were polite and efficient. I was allowed to check in two 50lb bags for free and to take a carry-on bag as well. Seats were comfortable and leg room decent especially for a low cost. We were served a complimentary snack and offered non-alcoholic beverages with free re-fills. Boarding was efficient. My only quirk with Southwest is that they do not have assigned seating hence getting a preferred seat is tricky unless you pay the extra $10 and get early boarding. I had not done that but in hindsight I think the extra $10 is well worth it (especially if you want a window seat). I highly recommend Southwest due to their efficiency friendly staff and complimentary beverages.

BUF-TPA return flights on time. B737-700 to Tampa and 737-500 back to Buffalo both quite clean although B737-500 showing its age. FA's friendly especially on the way back to Buffalo. The extra $10 for early boarding was well worth it on return - ended up with a mid "A" boarding group number and got the Exit seat with about 3 feet of legroom in front - if you're tall this is the seat you want. My home airport is Toronto but I'll drive to Buffalo for fares that are generally half the price of flying out of Toronto.

Avoid if you are travelling with children over 4 years of age. My wife 5 year old son and I were unable to obtain a boarding pass prior to our arrival at the airport and as a result under Southwest's "open-seat" policy we boarded when only single seats were available. My wife politely asked if any passenger would be willing to move so our son could sit with her and no one responded. The flight attendant did not attempt to assist us despite witnessing our dilemma. Fortunately a sympathetic passenger finally offered to move to allow my wife to sit with our son. It appears Southwest has decided that 5 year old children are sufficiently mature to sit apart from their parents on 3 hour flights. I recommend that you avoid Southwest if you are flying with children over the age of 4 or your family may be placed in the same position as mine.

BOI-SNA round trip. Took my 4 year old son. We had no problems whatsoever on our flights. Connected in Las Vegas heading to SNA then Phoenix heading back to Boise. Flight from SNA to PHX was overbooked but since I was travelling with a 4 year old we got on right after the "A" group. I thought the boarding process was odd and I prefer assigned seating but I saved so much money on the lack of baggage fees it was worth it to me. Seats were more comfortable and I had more legroom than on other airlines I've flown. I'd fly SWA again for sure.

SAN-PHX roundtrip. The flight from SAN to PHX was delayed at the gate for 40 minutes in San Diego. The plane however was a new refurbished looking 737-700. Very comfortable. The flight back was on an old worn looking 737-300. The flight was a little bumpy to begin with but it got smoother as we went along. We arrived on time at the gate in SAN. Cabin crew were friendly both ways.