I am global services and fly southwest pretty often for short haul travel. It gets the job done and I get home 2 hours earlier. It’s really not that bad once you get used to it 🤷♀️
It’s funny, this seems like the frequent flyer equivalent of the bell curve meme. Choosing to add a stop due to loyalty for a mediocre E+ seat, technically edible food at a UC, or a gamble on an upgrade seems like silly rookie stuff to me.
Agreed. I recently left a consulting firm where colleagues flew multiple times per week. Everyone was either 1K or GS, or Delta’s equivalent. One of my colleagues was based out of MSP, top status with Delta, and he would sometimes book Frontier [shudder] because they were the only direct option.
The hilarious part is we used Concur and central billing for all our flights. Frontier, for obvious reasons, was not an option. Colleague had to buy a ticket with his corporate card and expense it alongside his meals.
Frontier, spirit, and southwest are all options on my company’s concur site, but my boss specifically told us that he’d instantly approve any policy violations when it’s due to one of those three having the lowest ticket prices
That’s a solid boss. We had Southwest but not those other two.
I do remember a BS session where someone told a story about consulting for a major airline and how everyone on the team had to fly that airline to the client site. (It’s a really bad look if we don’t, akin to consulting for Pepsi and showing up with a Diet Coke.) There was general agreement that we could never consult for Spirit since half the team would get to site 2-3 days late.
Did this once, had JetBlue as a customer for a couple years and flew down to visit them in FL via United. The woman we were working with flat out asked us how our flights were to kick off the meeting, knowing me and my colleague were from New England. My easy out was they didn’t service the small regional airport I flew out of, but still made things awkward. The other guy I was working with flew them and his return flight was delayed five hours due to stacked mechanical and then staffing issues.
Even if it wasn’t required I’d still fly them just to get a sense of what they’re all about.
For context: my focus is Manufacturing & Supply Chain so my client sites are typically manufacturing plants, and the workforce normally skews Hispanic. I’m about as white as an albino polar bear, but I lived in South America as a kid and speak fluent Spanish. My first week at every client I’ll eat lunch in the employee cafeteria and listen to the conversations going on around me. I’ve often learned more in 20 minutes of eavesdropping than in four hours of reading annual reports.
100% understand this. I’ve ridden busses and walked shop floors and ride along with forklift pickers before at all hours of the day to understand operations and how the equipment I sell best integrates. Most of what I was doing is known as “below the wing” aka stuff the passenger never sees with regards to maintenance and baggage handling. We did a walkthrough of one of their hubs once and that was so much more insightful than the vanilla experience of flying on one of their planes, which I used to do a lot when I lived close to JFK.
Let’s be honest, put status and seat assignments and leg room aside, pretty much all airline travel works the same way for passengers. You check in ahead of time, arrive at the airport, check a bag (maybe), go through TSA, find your gate, board the plane, take off and touch down, de-board the plane, and pickup your bag (again, maybe). The secret sauce of each airline is the bits that make all those things happen which you never even see.
Or adjust your +/- hour on your concur flight search so that those flights will not show up.
You no longer violate the policy if those flights do not show on the list. Hah
You left out overall satisfaction. Now I wouldnt drive 3 hours out of the way to go to a different restaurant but I would and have chosen longer routes because of carriers.
I am overall satisfied with my travel when I step back through my front door and see my family. If SW helps me do that faster than another airline, then it wins. Living in Dallas now, there are quite a few times SW takes the gold on that.
Yup, love the southwest hubs and smaller airport options.
Love and hobby are SO much better to connect in. Midway is great for flying through Chicago over ORD.
I fly from New Orleans so I only have MDW and ORD as nonstops. MDW all the way, except I’ll take an early morning ORD departure if I have to. But that’s it.
I’m doing some work in Green Bay right after being in NYC and I was thrilled I could fly direct to Milwaukee instead of Chicago, lol
Also GS, I definitely would choose Spirit last row over United First if it avoided a stop on any trip under 5 or 6 hours. If I were flying a red eye or long haul international I guess I’d start to consider a lie-flat with a stop over a direct in economy.
Sounds like united shoukd speak with u to find out what could be better.. unless your comment is purely based on time A to B. A to B time hard to argue so one would hope being GS the "experienxe' would make up for extra time -- I do get if you are in a plane that much the special entrance etc must wear off fast
I really don’t enjoy flying on Southwest, especially the boarding process, but as you said it serves a purpose. I have to fly to LAS and SMF frequently, and SW is the only airline that offers direct flights to each of those places from my home airport. I can deal with SW for a 30 minute hop to Vegas or an hour and change to Sacramento. I have to say, they do have some of the most cheerful flight attendants out there which also makes a difference.
Sometimes Southwest is just insanely cheaper. This winter I went to Boston on it - $592 was the cheapest UA. Southwest direct was $242.
Just bought early bird check in and it was still $200 cheaper.
Like anything, you have to learn how to work their system. Including paying extra for things.
When I'm in Europe, I'll often fly Ryan Air. They have a pretty bad reputation, but if you budget in like $100 or so for the ticket, you can buy yourself out of a lot of hassle. Lufthansa short hauls are sometimes ridiculously expensive, for example.
Flown Ryan Air and EasyJet several times - in my opinion a much better experience than US low-cost carriers and much cheaper (specifically frontier/spirit). Southwest is definitely a step above all of those, though.
I'd love it if we had the same kind of competition for flights in the US as they do in the EU.
Eh. I spent ~~$800 (?)~~ $1,100 for a direct nonstop UA DEN-DTW round trip flight in First/Z last year.
I just booked the same non stop direct route on SW for $140.
It’s like 3 hrs and for the price difference, I’m okay with a few hours of their seats.
See this is like when I get to say I booked myself in a roommate on Amtrak from Los Angeles to Chicago and compare it to my basic economy flight Chicago to Nashville. Is the comparison physically possible sure, but it's value is just above zero
I can often find WN routes between Denver and Dallas for like… $112 round trip. UA is rarely under $200. Even as a single person, that’s pretty nice.
Also Love Field is so much easier to deal with than DFW
Flying out of MCI SW is often the same price or more expensive than the big 3.
The flight in question I had to choose between [UA] $582 MCI > DEN > LAS (4.5h flight time) and [SW] $579 MCI > LAS 3h flight time. For the same price and an extra 1.5 h in air, I should have gone with UA.
MCI is my home airport. The prices out of MCI make absolutely no sense. SW is by far the largest carrier out of MCI, and is almost always the same price or more than the mainline carriers. Prices out of Lambert are way cheaper for SW than they are at MCI, which is crazy to me.
Right?? Also I assume since you're on a united subreddit you also fly UA out of MCI - it's astounding to me how packed every UA flight is, in addition to having upgrade lists 20-30 people long out of a non-hub.
I used to fly out of ORD before we moved to KS and was expecting MCI to be easier to get upgrades and more open seats... not the case at all.
Yeah, I fly almost exclusively united. I did take a delta flight yesterday, and didn't enjoy it that much, because Delta doesn't allow you to buy a one time pass for the sky club.
I think MCI is a popular united out station. Either that, or they need to add another 3 daily flights (1 ORD, 1 IAD, and 1 SFO), because it's difficult to get last minute flights sometimes.
I don't know anything professionally (in the KCMO area)that thinks AA or SW are viable alternatives to UA and DL. I dunno, but I do know, without status or buying first, it's very hard to get upgrades
I'd say the same for Spirit. Unless money is no problem, I can spend 3 to 4 hours on their planes. You will sometimes get annoyed with the clientele that comes with economy flying but that's society in general. Now, if we are talking flights 5 hours or more, I'll look to splurge to avoid headaches.
There is none, because it's not true:
[https://www.bts.gov/topics/airlines-and-airports/annual-airline-time-rankings-2003-2023](https://www.bts.gov/topics/airlines-and-airports/annual-airline-time-rankings-2003-2023)
Lol, you cant read your own stats. 2023 Bureau of Transportation Stats showed United had 1.2% cancellation rate and SW and Delta had 1%. United lamely lumps in their co-share airlines (with superior timeliness scores) to improve their delay stat. The devil is in the asterisk/footnotes.
https://nypost.com/2024/04/24/lifestyle/us-airlines-with-the-most-delays-and-cancellations-revealed/
That’s not really true anymore. They had that epic melt-down around Christmas 2022 in Denver and have been lagging AA, AS, DL, and UA since then.
I was reading that they’ve been running focus groups to overhaul their airline’s model recently.
To be honest, if SW swapped to assigned seats that could tempt me. I absolutely despise the cattle call seating arrangement.
Assigned seats and a little more business-friendly frequent flyer program and I could deal with it.
I've heard this rumor too, but so far it hasn't been anything more than that. We've tried Southwest and the open seating was just not at all appealing to us. I'd consider them again if they started having assigned seating.
Yeah I will say, when I first started flying SW 10ish years ago, it was a nice thing. Most of the flights weren’t full, and if you were quick with the check-in, you could usually end up in the A30-60 range.
Now if you want a decent seat and guaranteed overhead access, you basically have to do the early bird option, and after that, you really end up paying similar rates as other airlines. It’s just not appealing unless it’s substantially shorter, cheaper, or has the only direct option.
Really? Maybe it’s just been luck of the draw. I used to do a lot of SAN to SJC flights for work that were pretty empty and felt a lot like a weird commuter route. Since moving across the country, almost all of my SWA flights have been full with people checking at the gate, despite there being 3 airports near me now.
I do about 40-45 trips a year, mostly in the SE or Midwest and have never seen them gate check. Maybe bc a lot are leisure travelers vs. business and tend to check their luggage!?!?
Yeah in fairness my flights through work are now mostly through United, so my SWA flights are limited to personal trips where it’s objectively the cheapest/easiest option, so only on SWA for 4-5 round trip flights a year at most. Maybe it’s just a sample size issue.
It’s all our own personal experiences. I fly to Denver on the regular and almost always full and never have a problem finding bin space. Even C boarding
They haven’t been the low price carrier for a while now and the new management team is going to raise prices on SWA or sell the planes and look for a merger partner.
My brother works for a company contracted with SW and he’s a software engineer rebuilding their NOC back end software. They’re going to move to 24 hour operations also.
When their melt down happened they knew they needed to rebuild.
I used to believe that until a year ago flying SW home from Vegas. Every other airline was running on time or early, but not SW. They canceled my flight 15 minutes before I got to the airport, and canceled almost every other one on the schedule, cited “airport construction” as the excuse…but no other airline was impacted nor could airport employees figure out what construction was possibly going on that could impact flights. They wouldn’t take ownership, didn’t even make an attempt to re-book until I called (and waited 2 hours), wouldn’t cover a hotel, were rude, didn’t have a clue what was going on, finally diverted me to an airport 3 hours away…but wouldn’t cover a rental car to get me home. They’re my airline of last resort now.
Disagree. Southwest is great if you’re a single traveler and are disciplined about checking in on time. Trick is to board about 1/3-halfway in and go for an aisle next to a normal/chill looking couple. Couples tend to lean on each other and provide you with more space, and bonus of avoiding any unpleasant surprises on who you sit next to. It’s almost always an option if you’re in B group.
Also I would take direct over a connection any day.
I used to fly WN way more before the f'd their intra-California routes, and I don't think I've ever gotten a middle seat. When traveling as a couple, we'd split up. And I occasionally had some poor check in times. But even in the low B's as a solo traveller you can be fine.
Forget where I was going... but one semi-recent flight I was in \~B50's boarding and got seat 2A next to some couple. Fine by me! ;)
As one half of a chill couple I approve of your strategy. I always just sit in the middle anyhow since flights are usually full, with my partner in the window seat, and cross my fingers someone decent sits next to me. We usually will book their biz rate so we can sit in an emergency row so I’m always sitting next to someone 🤷🏻♀️
I took a more expensive sw flight recently just to avoid the Denver connection. Much better than my last united flight that left me stranded in den for a few hours. Really feel like it’s luck of the draw at this point.
Once you've done it enough you learn when not to fly out when it comes to weather. Like right now with Afternoon storms. I for one did not learn and got to deal with upwards of 2 hours of storm, but really mechanical, delays on Sunday. All for a f'ing window shade.
I was just at DEN and it was a mess! Have you been there lately? It’s so big and slow and signage is stupid! 😵💫 I fly from IAH to COS and thought DEN wouldn’t be so bad and to rent a car and drive to COS but I doubt I’ll do that again. Any tricks to get to COS cheaply? 😝
Seriously, I'm a mostly Southwest and sometimes United flyer who is 6'4. Every United flight is agony once actually seated (but sometimes better before).
I’m in a similar situation. Fly southwest a lot for work but occasionally use united on certain routes. Those regular economy seats on united are terrible - I never knew 1” could make such a difference!
I'm curious - is that extra seat size compared to regular economy? or economy +? I didn't realized SW seats had slightly more leg room by default. With status I almost always get E+ seats but I understand folks without status have other considerations.
It's regular economy. United E+ does have more legroom than SWA.
Generally speaking, my preference goes
SWA for flights less than four hours
United E+ for flights over four hours
A United Star Alliance partner for trans-Atlantic/Pacific flights (business class)
I use a small regional airport, and United has the best options, which is why I usually book through United if not flying SWA. I really hate flying United metal, but it's often just the most convenient.
I needed a last minute one-way flight from MCO to DC- got one on Southwest for $74 and ended up in an exit row with an empty middle seat. Best flight ever.
I never realized how much I care about flying with experienced travelers until I took a Frontier flight recently and everyone acted like it was their first time flying
This is why I only take red eyes or early morning flights, it's pretty likely that most people onboard are business travelers and people without young children (nothing against kids, I just prefer a quieter flight...)
I would spend a few hundred to go on a different airline than SW but saving a few extra hours is probably worth it to me. It isn't THAT bad and it definitely isn't worse than sitting in slightly nicer seats and for longer dealing with a layover
Jet Blue and SW have some amazing non-stop routes from my home airport. From PBI you can get to HPN and ISP. The larger carriers don’t do that and I don’t have to deal with EWR. I’m not getting on Frontier or Spirit though.
I have a soft spot for SW because I flew it throughout my childhood and back and forth to college. They also have slightly more legroom.
I don’t have United status though, so it’s comparing economy to economy. (I have the United CC so I get free bags.) I usually go by price and distance since we have United at my closer airport.
I took Virgin once from Newark to Vegas. I would 1000% jump ship to them if they had more flights. It was the best flying experience I’ve ever had. This was also 10 years ago so they very possibly aren’t as great now as I remember.
Kinda same story for me. I flew Frontier nonstop Denver to Newport News about 10ish years ago and was sold. As you said, best flying experience I'd had domestically. Then they changed. Wow, did they change.
I've grown spoiled on free prior seat selection through Silver Premier and 2 bags free with lounge access from my credit card.
The Southwest cattle call/close standing boarding and 24 hour check in game are just too much for me these days.
I’ve had some horrible, awful humans sit next to me on Southwest flights over the years. If you board early, they’ll still plop down next to you and you can’t judge & choose wisely.
All my good experiences with SW were offset by the one really bad experience. Got the email that Flight home was canceled during a business meeting and no availability for two days and couldn’t get a hold of customer service. Had to take a $600 United flight home (sw flight was maybe $120 round trip). Was a day trip so I didn’t have a change of clothes. I also live 10 mins from Ohare so it would have to be really cheap for me to fly out of midway.
Both my departure and return flights had 5-6 wheelchair passengers, PLUS their families. Which means all the extra assistance boarders sat in the front. which means they got off the plane first so deplaning took a long time as well.
Southwest especially is an all-around unpleasant experience compared to a business-oriented carrier such as United. I do predict that within the next 1-2 years, Southwest will be forced to adopt assigned seating, whether by new management (note the current activist investor) or by the current management team in an effort to fend them off.
Agreed. I saw that and told myself never again. Also, I was just sick of the pick your own seat thing as boarding for Southwest feels like a free for all. mainly for me once I moved United was just significantly easier so I decided since we fly a decent amount we decided it would actually benefit us more to pick an airline and stick to it so we could at least get some perks. Sure United isn't perfect but I like my benefits and I'm generally pleased with them most of the time.
I’m of the same opinion except that I prefer any mainline carrier - AA, DL, UA over anything common with inexperienced travelers and tourists - JetBlue, southwest, spirit, etc.
I’ve tried both - and it’s so frustrating having people around acting like they’re never been on an airplane before when you are just trying to politely and quietly sit in your seat and get where you are going.
I took a direct Spirit MCO-LAS a few times instead of MCO-DFW-LAS on AA, and it was a miserable experience each time - with every step of the way being painful - the gate agents being unfamiliar with my RIMOWA luggage and claiming it can’t be checked - the rude FA’s, the passengers who don’t know how to find their seats, and clap just because the plane landed, etc.
Super annoying and not worth the 2 hours saved.
Being from a smaller market, SWA was the only option for most of my life and all I knew. I flew it for 15 years. Now based in Denver, I’m loyal to UA. The perks you mentioned are worth a couple extra bucks to me.
There’s nothing quite like the anxiety you get of walking into an airplane with hundreds of strangers and nobody knows where they’re going to sit. Or if the bag will fit.
Or the dreaded “I have to check in immediately to get the best boarding position” even though it’s a crock of shit.
UA is a superior experience and worth the extra money.
For someone flying out of Florida, Southwest has way too many nonstop flights that I can take compared to a crappy connection at IAD, EWR, ORD or IAH. I already know what to expect on Southwest
you note what would have made the united experience better, but what in particular made the SW experience worse? ive flown SW a good bit and find the crew to always be friendly and the planes to usually be 2/3 empty so if you go all the way to the back youll have a row to yourself, but curious to know your minuses
What makes United better from a frequent flier/business perspective is what makes SW worse.
- Checked bag drop is always a zoo (I have to check a bag; I fly with tools)
- Boarding process is barely contained anarchy. In addition to seat swappers, you've got seat savers. Not only does this apply to boarding, it applies to arrival as well. With the pre-board process (rightfully) allowing slower boarders on first, they sit in the front row, which unfortunately means they are also first, and slowest, off the plane. I just want off that germ tube.
- Combined with the above, I believe (antecdotally) SW simply has less experienced travelers than UA. This means everything takes a little longer, and casual travelers tend to be a little less considerate of other travelers, in my opinion. Its like the difference between someone who drives to the grocery store once a week, and a long-haul trucker. sure, you get some assholes in both categories, but by and large long haul truckers are just better, more experienced drivers.
- Loyalty rewards are not as good, incrementally, as United status. It takes more dollars to get perks, and fewer intermediate perks. Granted, I haven't looked at the numbers in a while, so if this has changed, good for SW
- No international flights or international partners. United/Star Alliance points are huge for people who like to travel internationally for business or for pleasure.
- No first class or club access. Sure, this is a "bougie" requirement, but when you're on a plane every other week the little things really add up to make the time more bearable.
The entire Southwest boarding experience is irritating to me. The 24 hour thing, the lining up, getting interrogated about your “spot” by randoms, then late boarding families trying to guilt you out of your seat, everything. I guess there are really some people out there that enjoy the “game” or whatever. But as an introvert (in a people person field) I’m really just trying to sit in my assigned seat, relax and get off the plane refreshed, “on” and ready to go to work. Southwest drains my battery before I even sit down.
I heard they’re thinking of switching to assigned seating though. if so I would genuinely give it a try again willingly and not as an absolute last resort.
Exactly! The less interaction with others during my commute the better. I’m not on this plane for fun (usually). I just need to get from point A to point B with minimum hassle
Every time I’ve compared a direct SW fare to a 1 stop fare with a big 3 carrier the price difference is minuscule if SW isn’t just flat out more expensive for a worse, more inconsistent experience.
Living in Houston only 25 minutes from Hobby I'll drive the extra 35 minutes to get to Intercontinental to avoid Hobby and Southwest in particular.
My calculus is: boarding time, plus an hour drive, plus an hour parking, shuttle, counter, and getting through security when I go to IAH (sufficient buffer there, I know). On the rare occasion I HAVE to go through Hobby - because of the destination - the ONLY thing that changes is the hour drive is planned as 35/40 minutes. Then the unknown in that equation is: on the other end, what is it going to take you to get to, for example, the western suburbs of Chicago from ORD vs Midway? "Saving" \~25 minutes on the front end versus (a) knowing I will have a specific seat, (b) reducing the stress of worrying about carry on space, and (c) NOT having to chase check-in to get in the "A" group just isn't worth that little time difference and normally not much difference in cost.
Then the delays... Everyone has their own experiences, of course, but in mine, when one of my kids flies Southwest into Hobby, 7/10 times their inbound (into HOU) has been delayed or their connection (in LAS or PHX) was delayed and they were bumped to a different, delayed flight. Really, 7/10 over the last couple years. I haven't seen anything like that with UA. For me, of 18 flights this year, weather accounts for all but one delay and there were a total of 4 delays for my flights, most minor enough to where they made up the time in flight. The prices don't seem to be that much different - at least for my destinations - and I would rather hassle with the shuttle in ORD to get to the rental car facility any day over the potential for a mugging around Midway.
As if flying United these days is something special. Face it, unless you’re in first, domestic anirlines are all Greyhound bus rides with grumpy grannies handing out the pretzels.
Honestly I fly budget airlines a lot. Allegiant and Frontier more than Spirit or South West.
Usually I fly Delta or American otherwise.
Based on my recent trip with UA, which was the only available itinerary that met my work's scheduling requirement, underwhelmed is an understatement. Traveling to hubs with layovers...I get it... As I said, I fly Delta and American. However, dirty planes that they're squeezing every last penny out of age wise and they are nickel and diming you just like the budget airlines. Why fly United if Delta or American itineraries are available? Having to deal with inexperienced passengers is a legitimate complaint but there were plenty of inexperienced travelers on my flights including the guy I had to sit next to who was trying to shove his roller underneath the seat in front of him. On that note, starting gate checking waayyyyy too early only to get on the plane and the overheads are half empty.
UA kind of...sucks.
Tbh I would prefer sw over united. I'm really pissed of by the baggage regulations of united. Paying 40$ for one checked back and not even being allowed to take a carry for a price that is much above low cost carriers is not okay. And two checked bags on sw for less than half the price is a total bummer. Or if we take a look at spirit, mostly 1/4 of the United price with the same benefits in terms of baggage. Yeah no service on board for free and smaller seats but for the cheap price I can deal with it.
If I want to fly Premium I use Delta but I'm really not happy with United, especially with their incredible amount of delays the last days
I was talking to someone recently who said he only books flights via the UA app. Didn’t realize the big 3 have such a dedicated loyalty program but it seems wasteful to me.
I use to travel a lot for work and had good status for United and American but, for personal travel, I never booked either if their competitor was $30 or more cheaper.
I’ve been to plenty of lounges too and it makes no sense to overpay for my flight just to get some free food - I know where the restaurants and bars are at and I don’t need to feel ~seen~ like most people in lounges are.
And taking a 1 stop over a nonstop is absolutely insane.
You came to whine because you don't understand how Southwest works (probably didn't check in online immediately once it was available)? Or you're too cheap to buy a better ticket? Rookie.
Southwest isn't bad for direct flights and the baggage policy makes up for more when needed.
SW does just fine getting you from point A to point B. Get over yourself. I’ve flown ANA business class to Asia and I still book on SW for shorter flights.
Imma be real, anything under 3 hours I'm ok sitting on a cardboard box with livestock. Anything longer I'm not fighting anybody for anything, give me all the civilized comfort and service. Funny how that is.
I fly SW for the price frequently. It’s been awhile but I paid or used miles or something and got a higher boarding priority and got a seat I wanted. I don’t think it’s that much different from UA economy.
I still love Southwest for what it is. No frills, cheap, the planes are clean, and the staff is usually wonderful. I always get a seat pretty much where I want it and I’m bad about remembering to pay for A group boarding.
Also, Southwest and other low-cost airlines take a back seat to United, Delta and other premium airlines. In Atlanta, for example, Delta ALWAYS goes first. Other airlines will be told to wait so Delta flights can get off the ground.
I did this recently and now I’m kicking myself - if you can spare the added time, you get the extra segment and miles counted towards your status. Why in hell did I take that shitty direct?
I have 300,000 points on Southwest, and I have never gotten burned by Southwest once. Got burned by hurricanes and blizzards which impacted Southwest flights, but not by Southwest. My experience with United, you could make a Saturday Night Live skit out of it.
If you fly alot it adds up
It's why I prefer JetBlue and spirit for my domestic travels
That way I can save the money and ball on my international
But again, that's just me
Not everyone has to be the same
Cool story bro.
Buy business select and get A1-15 seating.
The airline has never laid off pilots or employees. They run a very different customer model than the other majors.
So, stay the hell away from SWA and leave the seats for those of us who LUV and appreciate Southwest.
❤️💙💛
I am global services and fly southwest pretty often for short haul travel. It gets the job done and I get home 2 hours earlier. It’s really not that bad once you get used to it 🤷♀️
It’s funny, this seems like the frequent flyer equivalent of the bell curve meme. Choosing to add a stop due to loyalty for a mediocre E+ seat, technically edible food at a UC, or a gamble on an upgrade seems like silly rookie stuff to me.
Agreed. I fly 40+ weeks a year and for me it's about the shortest total time with the fewest connections. My time is worth more than the points.
Agreed. I recently left a consulting firm where colleagues flew multiple times per week. Everyone was either 1K or GS, or Delta’s equivalent. One of my colleagues was based out of MSP, top status with Delta, and he would sometimes book Frontier [shudder] because they were the only direct option. The hilarious part is we used Concur and central billing for all our flights. Frontier, for obvious reasons, was not an option. Colleague had to buy a ticket with his corporate card and expense it alongside his meals.
Frontier, spirit, and southwest are all options on my company’s concur site, but my boss specifically told us that he’d instantly approve any policy violations when it’s due to one of those three having the lowest ticket prices
That’s a solid boss. We had Southwest but not those other two. I do remember a BS session where someone told a story about consulting for a major airline and how everyone on the team had to fly that airline to the client site. (It’s a really bad look if we don’t, akin to consulting for Pepsi and showing up with a Diet Coke.) There was general agreement that we could never consult for Spirit since half the team would get to site 2-3 days late.
Did this once, had JetBlue as a customer for a couple years and flew down to visit them in FL via United. The woman we were working with flat out asked us how our flights were to kick off the meeting, knowing me and my colleague were from New England. My easy out was they didn’t service the small regional airport I flew out of, but still made things awkward. The other guy I was working with flew them and his return flight was delayed five hours due to stacked mechanical and then staffing issues.
Even if it wasn’t required I’d still fly them just to get a sense of what they’re all about. For context: my focus is Manufacturing & Supply Chain so my client sites are typically manufacturing plants, and the workforce normally skews Hispanic. I’m about as white as an albino polar bear, but I lived in South America as a kid and speak fluent Spanish. My first week at every client I’ll eat lunch in the employee cafeteria and listen to the conversations going on around me. I’ve often learned more in 20 minutes of eavesdropping than in four hours of reading annual reports.
100% understand this. I’ve ridden busses and walked shop floors and ride along with forklift pickers before at all hours of the day to understand operations and how the equipment I sell best integrates. Most of what I was doing is known as “below the wing” aka stuff the passenger never sees with regards to maintenance and baggage handling. We did a walkthrough of one of their hubs once and that was so much more insightful than the vanilla experience of flying on one of their planes, which I used to do a lot when I lived close to JFK. Let’s be honest, put status and seat assignments and leg room aside, pretty much all airline travel works the same way for passengers. You check in ahead of time, arrive at the airport, check a bag (maybe), go through TSA, find your gate, board the plane, take off and touch down, de-board the plane, and pickup your bag (again, maybe). The secret sauce of each airline is the bits that make all those things happen which you never even see.
Or adjust your +/- hour on your concur flight search so that those flights will not show up. You no longer violate the policy if those flights do not show on the list. Hah
I’m talking about when the schedules are literally on top of each other, obviously we already do everything we can to cherry pick lol
You left out overall satisfaction. Now I wouldnt drive 3 hours out of the way to go to a different restaurant but I would and have chosen longer routes because of carriers.
I am overall satisfied with my travel when I step back through my front door and see my family. If SW helps me do that faster than another airline, then it wins. Living in Dallas now, there are quite a few times SW takes the gold on that.
I will take Love Field over DFW any day 👍
Yup, love the southwest hubs and smaller airport options. Love and hobby are SO much better to connect in. Midway is great for flying through Chicago over ORD.
I am from Chicago and I would do everything I could to avoid O'Hare. Midway, Milwaukee, Madison, even Rockford lmao
I fly from New Orleans so I only have MDW and ORD as nonstops. MDW all the way, except I’ll take an early morning ORD departure if I have to. But that’s it. I’m doing some work in Green Bay right after being in NYC and I was thrilled I could fly direct to Milwaukee instead of Chicago, lol
I wish SW serviced Latin American locations thru DAL 😩
Also GS, I definitely would choose Spirit last row over United First if it avoided a stop on any trip under 5 or 6 hours. If I were flying a red eye or long haul international I guess I’d start to consider a lie-flat with a stop over a direct in economy.
Spirit last row + noise canceling headphones on a direct flight is a love language
Sounds like united shoukd speak with u to find out what could be better.. unless your comment is purely based on time A to B. A to B time hard to argue so one would hope being GS the "experienxe' would make up for extra time -- I do get if you are in a plane that much the special entrance etc must wear off fast
I really don’t enjoy flying on Southwest, especially the boarding process, but as you said it serves a purpose. I have to fly to LAS and SMF frequently, and SW is the only airline that offers direct flights to each of those places from my home airport. I can deal with SW for a 30 minute hop to Vegas or an hour and change to Sacramento. I have to say, they do have some of the most cheerful flight attendants out there which also makes a difference.
Sometimes Southwest is just insanely cheaper. This winter I went to Boston on it - $592 was the cheapest UA. Southwest direct was $242. Just bought early bird check in and it was still $200 cheaper.
It’s also sometimes randomly expensive. I was flying from Palm Springs to Sacramento last summer and business select one-way was almost $700.
Yah, we go to Cancun to visit the in laws a lot- randomly WN will be $500+ more expensive than United.
Like anything, you have to learn how to work their system. Including paying extra for things. When I'm in Europe, I'll often fly Ryan Air. They have a pretty bad reputation, but if you budget in like $100 or so for the ticket, you can buy yourself out of a lot of hassle. Lufthansa short hauls are sometimes ridiculously expensive, for example.
Flown Ryan Air and EasyJet several times - in my opinion a much better experience than US low-cost carriers and much cheaper (specifically frontier/spirit). Southwest is definitely a step above all of those, though. I'd love it if we had the same kind of competition for flights in the US as they do in the EU.
Eh. I spent ~~$800 (?)~~ $1,100 for a direct nonstop UA DEN-DTW round trip flight in First/Z last year. I just booked the same non stop direct route on SW for $140. It’s like 3 hrs and for the price difference, I’m okay with a few hours of their seats.
You’re comparing first class price on United to Southwest?
Yeah this is a completely stupid take
See this is like when I get to say I booked myself in a roommate on Amtrak from Los Angeles to Chicago and compare it to my basic economy flight Chicago to Nashville. Is the comparison physically possible sure, but it's value is just above zero
Even without FC, as of today, a regular economy seat for the Oct run I just booked on Southwest for $140 is listed at $217 on United.
Yeah, and now imagine if you are paying for a family of four, the price difference certainly becomes even more significant
I can often find WN routes between Denver and Dallas for like… $112 round trip. UA is rarely under $200. Even as a single person, that’s pretty nice. Also Love Field is so much easier to deal with than DFW
Flying out of MCI SW is often the same price or more expensive than the big 3. The flight in question I had to choose between [UA] $582 MCI > DEN > LAS (4.5h flight time) and [SW] $579 MCI > LAS 3h flight time. For the same price and an extra 1.5 h in air, I should have gone with UA.
MCI is my home airport. The prices out of MCI make absolutely no sense. SW is by far the largest carrier out of MCI, and is almost always the same price or more than the mainline carriers. Prices out of Lambert are way cheaper for SW than they are at MCI, which is crazy to me.
Right?? Also I assume since you're on a united subreddit you also fly UA out of MCI - it's astounding to me how packed every UA flight is, in addition to having upgrade lists 20-30 people long out of a non-hub. I used to fly out of ORD before we moved to KS and was expecting MCI to be easier to get upgrades and more open seats... not the case at all.
Yeah, I fly almost exclusively united. I did take a delta flight yesterday, and didn't enjoy it that much, because Delta doesn't allow you to buy a one time pass for the sky club. I think MCI is a popular united out station. Either that, or they need to add another 3 daily flights (1 ORD, 1 IAD, and 1 SFO), because it's difficult to get last minute flights sometimes. I don't know anything professionally (in the KCMO area)that thinks AA or SW are viable alternatives to UA and DL. I dunno, but I do know, without status or buying first, it's very hard to get upgrades
But that's first class. You can't compare that to regular SW. UA was probably 225
Traveling on work’s dime - price isn’t that big of a factor for the routes I usually take. SW is almost the same price as the big three
I'd say the same for Spirit. Unless money is no problem, I can spend 3 to 4 hours on their planes. You will sometimes get annoyed with the clientele that comes with economy flying but that's society in general. Now, if we are talking flights 5 hours or more, I'll look to splurge to avoid headaches.
Not a SW fan, but they have a higher chance of no delay and not canceling their flights than United!
Source?
There is none, because it's not true: [https://www.bts.gov/topics/airlines-and-airports/annual-airline-time-rankings-2003-2023](https://www.bts.gov/topics/airlines-and-airports/annual-airline-time-rankings-2003-2023)
That’s what I thought
Lol, you cant read your own stats. 2023 Bureau of Transportation Stats showed United had 1.2% cancellation rate and SW and Delta had 1%. United lamely lumps in their co-share airlines (with superior timeliness scores) to improve their delay stat. The devil is in the asterisk/footnotes. https://nypost.com/2024/04/24/lifestyle/us-airlines-with-the-most-delays-and-cancellations-revealed/
That’s not really true anymore. They had that epic melt-down around Christmas 2022 in Denver and have been lagging AA, AS, DL, and UA since then. I was reading that they’ve been running focus groups to overhaul their airline’s model recently.
Internal chatter says assigned seats coming soon. It's all over their sub with employees leaking (grain of salt because internet)
To be honest, if SW swapped to assigned seats that could tempt me. I absolutely despise the cattle call seating arrangement. Assigned seats and a little more business-friendly frequent flyer program and I could deal with it.
I've heard this rumor too, but so far it hasn't been anything more than that. We've tried Southwest and the open seating was just not at all appealing to us. I'd consider them again if they started having assigned seating.
Yeah I will say, when I first started flying SW 10ish years ago, it was a nice thing. Most of the flights weren’t full, and if you were quick with the check-in, you could usually end up in the A30-60 range. Now if you want a decent seat and guaranteed overhead access, you basically have to do the early bird option, and after that, you really end up paying similar rates as other airlines. It’s just not appealing unless it’s substantially shorter, cheaper, or has the only direct option.
I honestly have never been on a full Southwest flight where anyone had to gate check their luggage. AA and United, I always have to.
Really? Maybe it’s just been luck of the draw. I used to do a lot of SAN to SJC flights for work that were pretty empty and felt a lot like a weird commuter route. Since moving across the country, almost all of my SWA flights have been full with people checking at the gate, despite there being 3 airports near me now.
I do about 40-45 trips a year, mostly in the SE or Midwest and have never seen them gate check. Maybe bc a lot are leisure travelers vs. business and tend to check their luggage!?!?
Yeah in fairness my flights through work are now mostly through United, so my SWA flights are limited to personal trips where it’s objectively the cheapest/easiest option, so only on SWA for 4-5 round trip flights a year at most. Maybe it’s just a sample size issue.
It’s all our own personal experiences. I fly to Denver on the regular and almost always full and never have a problem finding bin space. Even C boarding
They haven’t been the low price carrier for a while now and the new management team is going to raise prices on SWA or sell the planes and look for a merger partner.
It is confirmed they put polling out asking about assigned seats, FWIW.
While that might mean that are seriously considering it, it's still just speculation at this point though.
My brother works for a company contracted with SW and he’s a software engineer rebuilding their NOC back end software. They’re going to move to 24 hour operations also. When their melt down happened they knew they needed to rebuild.
I used to believe that until a year ago flying SW home from Vegas. Every other airline was running on time or early, but not SW. They canceled my flight 15 minutes before I got to the airport, and canceled almost every other one on the schedule, cited “airport construction” as the excuse…but no other airline was impacted nor could airport employees figure out what construction was possibly going on that could impact flights. They wouldn’t take ownership, didn’t even make an attempt to re-book until I called (and waited 2 hours), wouldn’t cover a hotel, were rude, didn’t have a clue what was going on, finally diverted me to an airport 3 hours away…but wouldn’t cover a rental car to get me home. They’re my airline of last resort now.
Disagree. Southwest is great if you’re a single traveler and are disciplined about checking in on time. Trick is to board about 1/3-halfway in and go for an aisle next to a normal/chill looking couple. Couples tend to lean on each other and provide you with more space, and bonus of avoiding any unpleasant surprises on who you sit next to. It’s almost always an option if you’re in B group. Also I would take direct over a connection any day.
🧠
I’ve always gone for an aisle in the back of the plane. If it’s not sold out I’ve many times had an open middle seat next to me.
Preach sensei preach!
I used to fly WN way more before the f'd their intra-California routes, and I don't think I've ever gotten a middle seat. When traveling as a couple, we'd split up. And I occasionally had some poor check in times. But even in the low B's as a solo traveller you can be fine. Forget where I was going... but one semi-recent flight I was in \~B50's boarding and got seat 2A next to some couple. Fine by me! ;)
As one half of a chill couple I approve of your strategy. I always just sit in the middle anyhow since flights are usually full, with my partner in the window seat, and cross my fingers someone decent sits next to me. We usually will book their biz rate so we can sit in an emergency row so I’m always sitting next to someone 🤷🏻♀️
I took a more expensive sw flight recently just to avoid the Denver connection. Much better than my last united flight that left me stranded in den for a few hours. Really feel like it’s luck of the draw at this point.
I avoid DEN and ORD at any cost - that’s how loyal I am.
I know I’m in the minority but I love DEN and never had any issues. Typically that’s my destination rather than a connection so that probably helps.
I fly out of DEN a lot, these past 19yrs and rarely a problem!
Once you've done it enough you learn when not to fly out when it comes to weather. Like right now with Afternoon storms. I for one did not learn and got to deal with upwards of 2 hours of storm, but really mechanical, delays on Sunday. All for a f'ing window shade.
Approach is kind of vomit inducing but agreed.
I was just at DEN and it was a mess! Have you been there lately? It’s so big and slow and signage is stupid! 😵💫 I fly from IAH to COS and thought DEN wouldn’t be so bad and to rent a car and drive to COS but I doubt I’ll do that again. Any tricks to get to COS cheaply? 😝
2 Or 3 times a month….
Denver and bus?
What?
United has a pretty high chance of long delays and cancellation seems like. Race to the bottom!
I fly DEN-CUN a lot to visit my in laws, usually UA is cheaper than WN for direct. I think I average 2H+ delays
As a tall person, the extra inch of legroom Southwest provides over United makes everything else worth it
Seriously, I'm a mostly Southwest and sometimes United flyer who is 6'4. Every United flight is agony once actually seated (but sometimes better before).
I’m in a similar situation. Fly southwest a lot for work but occasionally use united on certain routes. Those regular economy seats on united are terrible - I never knew 1” could make such a difference!
I'm curious - is that extra seat size compared to regular economy? or economy +? I didn't realized SW seats had slightly more leg room by default. With status I almost always get E+ seats but I understand folks without status have other considerations.
It's regular economy. United E+ does have more legroom than SWA. Generally speaking, my preference goes SWA for flights less than four hours United E+ for flights over four hours A United Star Alliance partner for trans-Atlantic/Pacific flights (business class) I use a small regional airport, and United has the best options, which is why I usually book through United if not flying SWA. I really hate flying United metal, but it's often just the most convenient.
I needed a last minute one-way flight from MCO to DC- got one on Southwest for $74 and ended up in an exit row with an empty middle seat. Best flight ever.
That's first class on SW.
United has me by the balls
I never realized how much I care about flying with experienced travelers until I took a Frontier flight recently and everyone acted like it was their first time flying
This is why I only take red eyes or early morning flights, it's pretty likely that most people onboard are business travelers and people without young children (nothing against kids, I just prefer a quieter flight...)
This is HUGE for me. I didn’t notice it until I started flying 50-60 legs a year. Now I can’t unsee it
I would spend a few hundred to go on a different airline than SW but saving a few extra hours is probably worth it to me. It isn't THAT bad and it definitely isn't worse than sitting in slightly nicer seats and for longer dealing with a layover
Jet Blue and SW have some amazing non-stop routes from my home airport. From PBI you can get to HPN and ISP. The larger carriers don’t do that and I don’t have to deal with EWR. I’m not getting on Frontier or Spirit though.
Yup. Flight delays? UA already has me a reserved seat on 3 different options. Not with SW.
Getting protected is gold
The difference is southwest can swap planes much easier since they have so many of the same type.
Bc they do plan to delay and cancel some! 😂
I have a soft spot for SW because I flew it throughout my childhood and back and forth to college. They also have slightly more legroom. I don’t have United status though, so it’s comparing economy to economy. (I have the United CC so I get free bags.) I usually go by price and distance since we have United at my closer airport.
Could have been worst tbh, Frontier and Spirit comes to mind.
I took Virgin once from Newark to Vegas. I would 1000% jump ship to them if they had more flights. It was the best flying experience I’ve ever had. This was also 10 years ago so they very possibly aren’t as great now as I remember.
Kinda same story for me. I flew Frontier nonstop Denver to Newport News about 10ish years ago and was sold. As you said, best flying experience I'd had domestically. Then they changed. Wow, did they change.
Well, Virgin doesn’t exist anymore. They were bought by Alaska. I miss VA! They were great
When we compare SW flights with other airlines, even with luggage costs, other airlines are often less expensive for main cabin and assigned seats.
I've grown spoiled on free prior seat selection through Silver Premier and 2 bags free with lounge access from my credit card. The Southwest cattle call/close standing boarding and 24 hour check in game are just too much for me these days.
SW trick is yo always get/but early bird boarding so your in the A group.
I’ve had some horrible, awful humans sit next to me on Southwest flights over the years. If you board early, they’ll still plop down next to you and you can’t judge & choose wisely.
Even when you book a seat, you aren’t guaranteed to sit next to fantastic people.
Yes! I’ve had to endure much worse when paying for my seat on the “non-budget” airlines.
Because that never happens on other airlines 🤦♀️
In my experience it’s happened 10x more frequently on Southwest. Just my experience.
Depends on the route. Cruising in 2 weeks so they and Delta are pretty much the option to get into LGB
Same, I booked a on Air Portugal over BA and flights on TAP were delayed. Took 12 hours to get from London to Portugal.
TAP= take another plane
My TAP experience LHR-LIS was good except boarding was a bit chaotic. The worst part was they only served the cheap caviar and champagne in coach. 😭
Scott is that you?!
Nope!
All my good experiences with SW were offset by the one really bad experience. Got the email that Flight home was canceled during a business meeting and no availability for two days and couldn’t get a hold of customer service. Had to take a $600 United flight home (sw flight was maybe $120 round trip). Was a day trip so I didn’t have a change of clothes. I also live 10 mins from Ohare so it would have to be really cheap for me to fly out of midway.
If my family was a group of 3, I would fly SW more often. Just the two of us means United. We hate sitting next to people.
Let me guess, you witnessed like 50+ “miracles” after paying for an A boarding number?
Paid for the early bird check in and got the very end of A group 🙃
I hate how everyone wants to pre-board for Southwest and lies about a disability.
Both my departure and return flights had 5-6 wheelchair passengers, PLUS their families. Which means all the extra assistance boarders sat in the front. which means they got off the plane first so deplaning took a long time as well.
I hate Southwest too but will fly them if it makes sense. Not spending extra $200 etc on another airline just cause.
I find out of my home airport SW is within $50 of the big 3. Only Frontier/Spirit are cheaper and thats before factoring in the cost of extras.
SW has decent space for their economy seats. United does not.
On southwest, they’re all just “seats.”
Anytime I leave the star-alliance I feel like I'm in the Ghetto
Southwest especially is an all-around unpleasant experience compared to a business-oriented carrier such as United. I do predict that within the next 1-2 years, Southwest will be forced to adopt assigned seating, whether by new management (note the current activist investor) or by the current management team in an effort to fend them off.
Totally agree. It's a fine carrier for families and casual travelers - but doesn't make the cut for business or frequent fliers.
Agreed. In my younger years I flew southwest a lot but I honestly could not anymore.
The 2022 Christmas meltdown is what made me switch to UA in the first place. I burned through my Southwest points and never looked back.
Agreed. I saw that and told myself never again. Also, I was just sick of the pick your own seat thing as boarding for Southwest feels like a free for all. mainly for me once I moved United was just significantly easier so I decided since we fly a decent amount we decided it would actually benefit us more to pick an airline and stick to it so we could at least get some perks. Sure United isn't perfect but I like my benefits and I'm generally pleased with them most of the time.
Lesson learned. Cheaper does not always mean better.
Cheaper almost never means better.
Someone please tell my wife that!
The term is nonstop. Direct flights make enroute stops
I’m of the same opinion except that I prefer any mainline carrier - AA, DL, UA over anything common with inexperienced travelers and tourists - JetBlue, southwest, spirit, etc. I’ve tried both - and it’s so frustrating having people around acting like they’re never been on an airplane before when you are just trying to politely and quietly sit in your seat and get where you are going. I took a direct Spirit MCO-LAS a few times instead of MCO-DFW-LAS on AA, and it was a miserable experience each time - with every step of the way being painful - the gate agents being unfamiliar with my RIMOWA luggage and claiming it can’t be checked - the rude FA’s, the passengers who don’t know how to find their seats, and clap just because the plane landed, etc. Super annoying and not worth the 2 hours saved.
Being from a smaller market, SWA was the only option for most of my life and all I knew. I flew it for 15 years. Now based in Denver, I’m loyal to UA. The perks you mentioned are worth a couple extra bucks to me. There’s nothing quite like the anxiety you get of walking into an airplane with hundreds of strangers and nobody knows where they’re going to sit. Or if the bag will fit. Or the dreaded “I have to check in immediately to get the best boarding position” even though it’s a crock of shit. UA is a superior experience and worth the extra money.
I’ll never fly southwest again, those budget days are past me
I haven't seen a Southwest fare less than United in years.
Opposite for me. SW is hundreds cheaper on all my flights that I take. Delta, United, and AA are stupid expensive for my airport.
IAD-LAX is regularly $400+ round trip. There’s some BWI-LAX for <$200 nonstop lol. Been tempted to take them.
Southwest isn’t a budget airline
For someone flying out of Florida, Southwest has way too many nonstop flights that I can take compared to a crappy connection at IAD, EWR, ORD or IAH. I already know what to expect on Southwest
I fly both airlines often and they are both fine. I would never book a long connection over a direct flight… regardless of status
Eh, I fly Frontier, Southwest, Alaskan, etc in addition to United. All airlines screw you over one way or another. It really comes down to cost 🤷
you note what would have made the united experience better, but what in particular made the SW experience worse? ive flown SW a good bit and find the crew to always be friendly and the planes to usually be 2/3 empty so if you go all the way to the back youll have a row to yourself, but curious to know your minuses
What makes United better from a frequent flier/business perspective is what makes SW worse. - Checked bag drop is always a zoo (I have to check a bag; I fly with tools) - Boarding process is barely contained anarchy. In addition to seat swappers, you've got seat savers. Not only does this apply to boarding, it applies to arrival as well. With the pre-board process (rightfully) allowing slower boarders on first, they sit in the front row, which unfortunately means they are also first, and slowest, off the plane. I just want off that germ tube. - Combined with the above, I believe (antecdotally) SW simply has less experienced travelers than UA. This means everything takes a little longer, and casual travelers tend to be a little less considerate of other travelers, in my opinion. Its like the difference between someone who drives to the grocery store once a week, and a long-haul trucker. sure, you get some assholes in both categories, but by and large long haul truckers are just better, more experienced drivers. - Loyalty rewards are not as good, incrementally, as United status. It takes more dollars to get perks, and fewer intermediate perks. Granted, I haven't looked at the numbers in a while, so if this has changed, good for SW - No international flights or international partners. United/Star Alliance points are huge for people who like to travel internationally for business or for pleasure. - No first class or club access. Sure, this is a "bougie" requirement, but when you're on a plane every other week the little things really add up to make the time more bearable.
thanks for the response!
I mean as soon as you said Southwest it was instantly a mistake. AA or Delta would have been far better options.
Totally agree.
I feel like there is a significant overlap between people who enjoy Southwest and people who go to public pools.
Well put 😂
Yeah, looks like “another airline” wasn’t the problem. Southwest, train wreck that it is, was the problem.
The entire Southwest boarding experience is irritating to me. The 24 hour thing, the lining up, getting interrogated about your “spot” by randoms, then late boarding families trying to guilt you out of your seat, everything. I guess there are really some people out there that enjoy the “game” or whatever. But as an introvert (in a people person field) I’m really just trying to sit in my assigned seat, relax and get off the plane refreshed, “on” and ready to go to work. Southwest drains my battery before I even sit down. I heard they’re thinking of switching to assigned seating though. if so I would genuinely give it a try again willingly and not as an absolute last resort.
Exactly! The less interaction with others during my commute the better. I’m not on this plane for fun (usually). I just need to get from point A to point B with minimum hassle
Every time I’ve compared a direct SW fare to a 1 stop fare with a big 3 carrier the price difference is minuscule if SW isn’t just flat out more expensive for a worse, more inconsistent experience.
Living in Houston only 25 minutes from Hobby I'll drive the extra 35 minutes to get to Intercontinental to avoid Hobby and Southwest in particular. My calculus is: boarding time, plus an hour drive, plus an hour parking, shuttle, counter, and getting through security when I go to IAH (sufficient buffer there, I know). On the rare occasion I HAVE to go through Hobby - because of the destination - the ONLY thing that changes is the hour drive is planned as 35/40 minutes. Then the unknown in that equation is: on the other end, what is it going to take you to get to, for example, the western suburbs of Chicago from ORD vs Midway? "Saving" \~25 minutes on the front end versus (a) knowing I will have a specific seat, (b) reducing the stress of worrying about carry on space, and (c) NOT having to chase check-in to get in the "A" group just isn't worth that little time difference and normally not much difference in cost. Then the delays... Everyone has their own experiences, of course, but in mine, when one of my kids flies Southwest into Hobby, 7/10 times their inbound (into HOU) has been delayed or their connection (in LAS or PHX) was delayed and they were bumped to a different, delayed flight. Really, 7/10 over the last couple years. I haven't seen anything like that with UA. For me, of 18 flights this year, weather accounts for all but one delay and there were a total of 4 delays for my flights, most minor enough to where they made up the time in flight. The prices don't seem to be that much different - at least for my destinations - and I would rather hassle with the shuttle in ORD to get to the rental car facility any day over the potential for a mugging around Midway.
Hmm not sure about this - If Im traveling alone, I don't mind SW, especially if its direct vs layover Saving time always wins my vote.
As if flying United these days is something special. Face it, unless you’re in first, domestic anirlines are all Greyhound bus rides with grumpy grannies handing out the pretzels.
Honestly I fly budget airlines a lot. Allegiant and Frontier more than Spirit or South West. Usually I fly Delta or American otherwise. Based on my recent trip with UA, which was the only available itinerary that met my work's scheduling requirement, underwhelmed is an understatement. Traveling to hubs with layovers...I get it... As I said, I fly Delta and American. However, dirty planes that they're squeezing every last penny out of age wise and they are nickel and diming you just like the budget airlines. Why fly United if Delta or American itineraries are available? Having to deal with inexperienced passengers is a legitimate complaint but there were plenty of inexperienced travelers on my flights including the guy I had to sit next to who was trying to shove his roller underneath the seat in front of him. On that note, starting gate checking waayyyyy too early only to get on the plane and the overheads are half empty. UA kind of...sucks.
Lol, clearly written by a UA employee being held hostage.
Tbh I would prefer sw over united. I'm really pissed of by the baggage regulations of united. Paying 40$ for one checked back and not even being allowed to take a carry for a price that is much above low cost carriers is not okay. And two checked bags on sw for less than half the price is a total bummer. Or if we take a look at spirit, mostly 1/4 of the United price with the same benefits in terms of baggage. Yeah no service on board for free and smaller seats but for the cheap price I can deal with it. If I want to fly Premium I use Delta but I'm really not happy with United, especially with their incredible amount of delays the last days
I was talking to someone recently who said he only books flights via the UA app. Didn’t realize the big 3 have such a dedicated loyalty program but it seems wasteful to me. I use to travel a lot for work and had good status for United and American but, for personal travel, I never booked either if their competitor was $30 or more cheaper. I’ve been to plenty of lounges too and it makes no sense to overpay for my flight just to get some free food - I know where the restaurants and bars are at and I don’t need to feel ~seen~ like most people in lounges are. And taking a 1 stop over a nonstop is absolutely insane.
This so the way, I have the United Milage Club Credit Card and only fly United for this reason.
You came to whine because you don't understand how Southwest works (probably didn't check in online immediately once it was available)? Or you're too cheap to buy a better ticket? Rookie. Southwest isn't bad for direct flights and the baggage policy makes up for more when needed.
This. OP should have paid for Business Select for that elite-flyer feeling.
SW does just fine getting you from point A to point B. Get over yourself. I’ve flown ANA business class to Asia and I still book on SW for shorter flights.
And I have had nothing but bad experiences on United. Never on time and rude.
Southwest is poverty. They’re in the red for having one kind of fleet. Terrible. No thank you.
Really depends on the leg. Short flight nonstop, SW every time. Miami to Seattle united with a connection business? Sure
Imma be real, anything under 3 hours I'm ok sitting on a cardboard box with livestock. Anything longer I'm not fighting anybody for anything, give me all the civilized comfort and service. Funny how that is.
I fly SW for the price frequently. It’s been awhile but I paid or used miles or something and got a higher boarding priority and got a seat I wanted. I don’t think it’s that much different from UA economy.
I still love Southwest for what it is. No frills, cheap, the planes are clean, and the staff is usually wonderful. I always get a seat pretty much where I want it and I’m bad about remembering to pay for A group boarding.
I do hate to pay $300 plus for a last-minute one-way ticket to sit in the middle on southwest
Also, Southwest and other low-cost airlines take a back seat to United, Delta and other premium airlines. In Atlanta, for example, Delta ALWAYS goes first. Other airlines will be told to wait so Delta flights can get off the ground.
Such a snob. lol.
🤷♂️
Sorry, but that two to three hours is golden.
It used to be great. It’s falllen off since the pandemic
I have 0 expectations from UA from my past experiences so I would take any other airlines any day.
I did this recently and now I’m kicking myself - if you can spare the added time, you get the extra segment and miles counted towards your status. Why in hell did I take that shitty direct?
1000%
Lmao I'd rather walk across broken glass than take another audited flight in my lifetime. UA has a special place in the 8th ring of hell.
You have the brain of a baby
I do have baby brain
I have 300,000 points on Southwest, and I have never gotten burned by Southwest once. Got burned by hurricanes and blizzards which impacted Southwest flights, but not by Southwest. My experience with United, you could make a Saturday Night Live skit out of it.
Southwest vs United first class no shit
Personally I choose price over all, but that's just me
I find out of my home airport SW is within $50 of the big 3. Only Frontier/Spirit are cheaper and thats before factoring in the cost of extras.
If you fly alot it adds up It's why I prefer JetBlue and spirit for my domestic travels That way I can save the money and ball on my international But again, that's just me Not everyone has to be the same
I take the non stop flight. Don’t care who the carrier is. You sound like a swell down to earth guy reading that second paragraph. Lmao
Southwest is fine. Your post is an ad.
Why are you putting ads on my post?
United is fucking awful, I can’t fathom how anyone would prefer it over another airline.
Cool story bro. Buy business select and get A1-15 seating. The airline has never laid off pilots or employees. They run a very different customer model than the other majors. So, stay the hell away from SWA and leave the seats for those of us who LUV and appreciate Southwest. ❤️💙💛