Southwest Airlines

[greatam]

I brought a ticket on AA for the flight out.

 

Thank you!!! From a VERY loyal AA flyer.

[mollyeilis]

You make it sound far more simple than reality. First, there are some who get there 1-2 hours before hand, and then you get to sit on the floor lining up like a bum, or just stand there for 1-2 hours "holding my place"? If you don't get there that far in advance you are at minimum 50 people away from selecting prime seats. (Yes, I do check in online to get the coveted A boarding) Oh, and my favorite - the one guy on line in A in the first spot who suddenly has 12 of his closest relatives join him just as boarding begins! No thanks. A more civilized version is go on line, print my boarding pass with the seat I have personally researched and selected. Then have a nice cup of coffee or a drink in the bar while waiting for boarding to begin. Stroll up to the gate and proceed with boarding once my zone is called (or preboard based on status). Then I walk up to my selected seat and enjoy the rest of the flight.

 

Not hard to pick which is better. (Oh, and it's cattle call, because you have cattle wandering aimlessly in a field with no assigned destination - just the way SW makes you feel)

 

Does it mean I never fly them? Nope. I'll check to see fares and convenience, but it really is usually a last resort.

 

 

It's not hard for either of us to pick what is better. We feel the opposite.

 

I used to fly on airlines with seat assignments, and now I don't, because I feel it's silly. Which seat I'm in just is NOT that important to me. Having someone choose a seat for me isn't "civilized" or not, it's just not part of the universe that I need anymore.

 

Also, I'm one of those who does get to the airport 2 hours early, because they generally tell you to do so, no matter what airline you're on. :)

[Globaliser]

Also, I'm one of those who does get to the airport 2 hours early, because they generally tell you to do so, no matter what airline you're on. :)

Ah, if only we all had the luxury of being able to do that!

[mollyeilis]

Ah, if only we all had the luxury of being able to do that!

 

What do you mean? How is it a luxury? I don't understand.

[FlyerTalker]

It's a luxury because many "road warriors" don't have that kind of time to spare. We hit the airport much closer to flight time and know how fast we have to run to get to the gate.;)

 

Elite frequent flyers have some perks that make it doable....priority check-in, priority security lines, and a lot of knowledge aforehand. But I can't remember the last time I was at an airport more than 2 hours before a flight except for a long connection mid-trip or my last flight out of Santiago (got dropped off and had a longish wait before the checkin counter opened - luckily, there was a decent restaurant with a 2 for 1 special on Heinekens!!)

[AZDENNY]

I think they are better priced for shorter flights as that is where they are the cheapest. I am flying from Phx-LA and they better everybody by $20-$100 on a 1 hr 15 min roundtrip flight. You can also use a site called checkinsooner.com and they will set up the boarding pass 24 hrs in advance for you. This is the earliest you can set up the pass with SWA.

[Globaliser]

What do you mean? How is it a luxury? I don't understand.

Take my typical "Hong Kong weekend": I book myself on the 9.50 pm Friday night departure from Heathrow. This means that I can be working in the office until about 7.15 pm (7.30 at the absolute latest), which I usually have to do if I am taking the weekend off and not working at all on Saturday or Sunday. It takes me 65-75 minutes from the door of my office to the check-in desk at Heathrow, so I get there somewhere between 8.20 pm and 8.45 pm, just in time for the check-in cutoff time of 8.50 pm. I then usually have just enough time to get a shower, before arriving at the gate just before it closes.

 

This is why "always being able to get to the airport two hours early" is a bit of a luxury. And why because of time constraints like these, I very much value being able to have allocated seats whether on long-haul or short-haul flights.

[CruisinMatt]

Talk about a "fly by the seat of your pants" lifestyle. My blood pressure is going up just thinking about it. You certainly do not leave much room for error. What happens when you encounter unexpected traffic congestion or some other incovenience along the way?

 

No wonder most frequent business travelers are crabby. :D

[Globaliser]

There is margin there, but carefully-crafted margin. Problems may eat into the margin, but nothing dramatic has yet occurred. The Tube is usually reliable enough that there won't be a dramatic problem. And at the end of the day, if I miss the flight, I miss it.

 

But I personally couldn't do this with a Southwest attitude to flying. I need to have the comfort of a good working relationship with the airline.

 

I should add, too: This is all leisure travel. I don't travel for business.

[mollyeilis]

Woof, I can't imagine flying like that. I like to be casual, I don't like to run through airports. I ran once through O'Hare and it was a nightmare I NEVER want to do again. Funny, that actually was a business trip, set up by some random corporate TA, and they put our connections far too close together in time (but of course across the airport because doesn't O'Hare ALWAYS do it that way, LOL?).

 

I suppose if it I were traveling only for work, I probably wouldn't mind the chance to miss a flight, perhaps even give up a seat for someone else and get something for my trouble. But then, hmm, my brother and SIL are ALWAYS flying around for work (Southwest as often as they can do it), and they always get to the airport well ahead of time (even when not on SW).

 

Alas, we travel only for fun, and it's not fun for me to rush like that. Setting up our travel plans so we can do as the airlines/airports request, and get there early, isn't a luxury, it's just what we do!

[Lightsluvr]

Not perception in the least.

 

You continue to fly Southwest all you want. I'll stick to a real airline, not Greyhound.

 

 

Okie dokie, I will. And my wife and I will fly free to our Baltimore cruise in September...something called Rapid Rewards...unheard of by the "legacy airlines"

 

By the way, where did that term "legacy airlines" come from? The real legacy airlines, TWA, Eastern and PanAm are all out of business! I wonder why???

 

LL :cool:

[Lightsluvr]

And I was stuck for 24 hours in Islip waiting for a SW flight. It happens with every airline. Personally,I'm not a fan because I hate the cattle call of no assigned seats. Plus, its not always the cheapest anymore. Give me Delta, Jetblue or United over SW anyday.

 

How do all the JetBlue fans feel after last weekend?

 

Oh my... :rolleyes:

 

LL

[greatam]

Okie dokie, I will. And my wife and I will fly free to our Baltimore cruise in September...something called Rapid Rewards...unheard of by the "legacy airlines"

 

By the way, where did that term "legacy airlines" come from? The real legacy airlines, TWA, Eastern and PanAm are all out of business! I wonder why???

 

LL :cool:

 

And I will fly First Class international FREE (thanks, AAdvantage) to my cruise out of London in January. UNHEARD of at SW.

 

In fact, the only cruises where you could use Rapid Rewards are departing from the continental USA. You could get to Hawaii on the ATA codeshare, but it takes DOUBLE the rewards. Your chances of getting an ATA codeshare reward trip to Hawaii is very slim. From the Southwest website: "Hawaii is a popular destination for ATA Airlines and seats for Customers traveling on Awards will be very limited and may not be available during peak travel season."

 

Not so with the legacy airlines. There is a slight upcharge to Hawaii, but NOT double. There are generally coach seats available. You also cannot get to Alaska for a cruise with Rapid Rewards. Two other things that make Rapid Rewards not a good deal: No activity in your account for 24 months and you loose your credits. And NO WAY to get credit in your account in 24 months WITHOUT taking a SW flight. Any of the legacy airlines you can keep your account active by renting a car, staying in a participating hotel, or even buying flowers.

 

Enjoy your cruise and SW!!! Me, I'll be sitting in first class drinking champagne.

[parody]

And NO WAY to get credit in your account in 24 months WITHOUT taking a SW flight.

 

If one uses Southwest's credit card, or earns rapid reward credits by using partnership rentals (Alamo, Budget, Dollar, Hertz), or partnership hotels (Choice, Hilton, Intercontinental, Marriott, La Quinta) will they extend one's 2-year deadline?

[greatam]

If one uses Southwest's credit card, or earns rapid reward credits by using partnership rentals (Alamo, Budget, Dollar, Hertz), or partnership hotels (Choice, Hilton, Intercontinental, Marriott, La Quinta) will they extend one's 2-year deadline?

 

If I understand it correctly-IF you get the SW credit card-you get 8 credits when you open the account and 8 credits if you make a balance transfer. The really biggie-you ONLY get extra points if you use your SW credit card for SW vacations, rental cars and hotels with participating partners. NO points/credits, etc. for dining, paying your taxes, paying your utilities, all the many ways to accumulate miles on other "airline" credit cards.

 

The "credits" are only valid for 24 months. So if you earned credit on Jan 1, 2005 and rented a car on Dec. 31, 2006, your first credit would expire on Jan 1, 2007. So I really see no way to "extend" the deadline. From the Southwest website, where it SPECIFICALLY mentions credits INDIVIDUALLY expire 24 months after acquired.

 

"Each credit is valid for 24 months from the date earned. Your Rapid Rewards account will contain only valid credits collected within the immediately preceding 24 consecutive months. If a credit is not applied toward an Award within 24 months of the date earned, it will be deleted from your Rapid Rewards account balance. Southwest Airlines reserves the right to cancel the membership of any Member with no credits in the account and who has earned no credits for at least 12 consecutive months."

[Lightsluvr]

And I will fly First Class international FREE (thanks, AAdvantage) to my cruise out of London in January. UNHEARD of at SW.

 

In fact, the only cruises where you could use Rapid Rewards are departing from the continental USA. You could get to Hawaii on the ATA codeshare, but it takes DOUBLE the rewards. Your chances of getting an ATA codeshare reward trip to Hawaii is very slim. From the Southwest website: "Hawaii is a popular destination for ATA Airlines and seats for Customers traveling on Awards will be very limited and may not be available during peak travel season."

 

Not so with the legacy airlines. There is a slight upcharge to Hawaii, but NOT double. There are generally coach seats available. You also cannot get to Alaska for a cruise with Rapid Rewards. Two other things that make Rapid Rewards not a good deal: No activity in your account for 24 months and you loose your credits. And NO WAY to get credit in your account in 24 months WITHOUT taking a SW flight. Any of the legacy airlines you can keep your account active by renting a car, staying in a participating hotel, or even buying flowers.

 

Enjoy your cruise and SW!!! Me, I'll be sitting in first class drinking champagne.

 

We are AAdvantage members as well. AA is the only other airline we will fly unless forced to by itinerary. However, I will never accumulate enough AAdvantage points to fly across town, let alone Hawaii. Good for you.

 

I fly SWA 2-3 times a month due to my work, and accumulate enough RR credits to take all our vacation flights should we choose to do so. In addition to BWI, SWA flies to FLL, SEA, LAX, TPA, HOU, ORF, MSY and MCO...all pretty good departure ports.

 

As for non-USA departures, the OP asked about SWA, thus one would assume that the thread has nothing to do with sipping champage on a Hawaii flight. The OP asked about SWA and I think the question was answered. Some folks LUV Southwest. Others don't.

 

As the previous poster noted, you are wrong about the credit accumulation if you use SWA Visa (which we don't). Same as the AAdvantage card (which we also do not use.)

 

I flew 87 separate connections on SWA in 2006. Two connections were more than 30 minutes late, but I never missed a connecting flight. Never lost a piece of luggage. My only complaint: I ate too damn many peanuts.

 

LL :rolleyes:

[Lightsluvr]

sorry, another duplicate post...