Flying Southwest...bad idea?

[missy]

Ok, not that i want horror stories to stress myself out, but I am  a bit concerned by their "no assigned seating" policy. How early should I get to the airport?

Have you or anyone you know been left behind?  I have flown SW twice and once was fine, once i got seperated on the plane from my friend, but still had a seat. do they really oversell that much?

[DCDave]

An hour, and no.

SW is one of my favorite airlines to fly, and I fly a lot. Printing out your boarding pass before hand will put you in the A section for their cattle call boarding, more likely than not.

What route are you flying?

[missy]

philadelphia to Orlando.

i've flown SW to New Orleans before and was fine. so the trick is just get the boarding pass asap? . thanks i have to leave work for this. before i just had all day to get there really early.

[DCDave]

philadelphia to Orlando.

i've flown SW to New Orleans before and was fine. so the trick is just get the boarding pass asap? . thanks i have to leave work for this. before i just had all day to get there really early.

You can print your boarding pass out on the Internet up to 24 hours in advance, which will guarantee you (most likely) A seating. But then again, Philly to Orlando is not exactly a main thoroughfare for flying.

[heather marie]

i always have to ask people why they're coming to orlando.

so.

why are you coming to orlando?

[missy]

http://themeparks.universalstudios.com/orlando/hhn/index.html

Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights.   basically to pee my pants in public.

[alexandra]

you can print your boarding pass starting at midnight the day of the flight. i fly southwest about 2-3 times a month and i have only had a few rude stewardess' and sweet stewards who give me free drinks. i like southwest, cheap and easy.

don't worry about the boarding, it's really simple and getting your boarding pass at 12:01 will always get you an A. They load the seating A-B-C (harf!) so you can get there 10 minutes early, as long as you have an A you can basically pick and choose your seat.

[heather marie]

i went to halloween horror nights twice in one year and almost died.

i have not been back since.

I AM A FUCKING CHICKEN HOLY SHIT OH GOD.

[missy]

you can print your boarding pass starting at midnight the day of the flight. i fly southwest about 2-3 times a month and i have only had a few rude stewardess' and sweet stewards who give me free drinks. i like southwest, cheap and easy.

don't worry about the boarding, it's really simple and getting your boarding pass at 12:01 will always get you an A. They load the seating A-B-C (harf!) so you can get there 10 minutes early, as long as you have an A you can basically pick and choose your seat.

so wait, my flight is at 6:10 pm on a Friday. can i do it 24 hours before (6:10 pm on thursday) or do i have to wait til midnight? sucks. i was planning on printing it at work. hm.

[Greg Nog]

Interesting fun fact about Southwest:  They are one of the only airlines to consistently turn a profit.  The rest depend on massive government subsidies.

Just introducing a fun fact for the next time you're on a plane, arguing with someone who won't shut up about laissez-faire economics.

[alexandra]

you have to wait until midnight, to my knowledge. the confirmation email that they sent you when you bought the ticket should have the exact details. just in case:

http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/retrieveCheckinDoc.html


*edit: OH SHIT! they changed it! it is 24 hours! sweet!

[missy]

awesome! that's what i thought!

[stephanie]

An hour, and no.

SW is one of my favorite airlines to fly, and I fly a lot. Printing out your boarding pass before hand will put you in the A section for their cattle call boarding, more likely than not.

Wholeheartedly agreed on all counts.  In fact, I would definitely go so far as to say that Southwest is probably my second favourite airline, and not just because I've travelled round-trip between Chicago and Seattle for $175 more than once.  (Favourite airline is Midwest.  ALWAYS.  I fly at least 6-8 roundtrips/year, and Midwest has never been anything less than excellent.  Also?  CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES BAKED ONBOARD.  Not excellent when you're hung over, but all other times, fabulous.)

Roll on Orlando.  Say hi to the sun for us upper Midwesterners.

[swilkes]

Wow. I did not know about Midwest's on-board cookie policy. Do they fly to DC?

[missy]

i went to halloween horror nights twice in one year and almost died.

i have not been back since.

I AM A FUCKING CHICKEN HOLY SHIT OH GOD.

oh man. don't tell me this. the flight is booked and the tickets are bought. the peer pressure of thrill seeking friends has me on this trip, but now i am worried.

[stephanie]

Wow. I did not know about Midwest's on-board cookie policy. Do they fly to DC?

Yes, ma'am -- usually rather inexpensively, too, as they tend to mega-discount their fares in places where there's competition (PHL, LGA, DCA).  Like, my r/t n/s ticket from MKE to LGA was only about $180.

(Fair warning:  cookies are only served on flights after 10:30 a.m.)

Best care in the air, indeed.  Also, mega-comfy seats, and 2x2 seating on most flights.  I would totally be a flight attendant for them if I wasn't planning on moving away from my fair city for a spell.  *swoon*

[mackro]

Doing the 24-hours-in-advance/12:01am thing, whichever it is, doesn't guarantee an A seating...

I've had to do this recently when I flying back to Seattle from Oakland airport.  I got a B!   I actually went to the people behind the booth and asked "Is this a mistake?  I printed my boarding pass as soon as humanly possible via the net.  How could this be?"

She answered back "The plane used up all the A seats from the previous stops in Burbank, CA, where the flight started"

So, sometimes, despite all you can do, you're boarding a flight that's already more than half full from a previous stop.  :/

[mackro]

That said, Southwest rocks!  (rhetorically, not literally)

[alexandra]

i just booked 3 roundtrip southwest flights (to portland, LA and NYC) and spent less than $450. gotta fucking LOVE that.

[elpollodiablo]

Flying JetBlue:



Bad idea.

[kathryn]

southwest is great for cheap fares, particularly for short flights. the intrastate deals for CA and TX can't be beat. but cross-country flights are a nightmare. particularly if you're traveling to new york city. california to islip with two stopovers? no thanks. (i'm waiting to see what happens when they start flying into LGA)

and the no assigned seating thing drives me nuts. my father used to get there 2 hours early, get his A pass, and then take a nap at the gate.

like stephanie, midwest is probably my favorite airline. the flight attendants must take pills to make them so friendly and helpful all the time. and there's always leftover cookies they're dying to give away.

jetblue used to be my favorite until it became impossible to get any of their advertised low fares unless you booked 5 months in advance, and every flight i took was supercrowded and uncomfortable. bah.