NM

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Delta gold card.  Never charged for bags on Delta flights and higher priority boarding.

[GooooMarquette]

Delta gold card.  Never charged for bags on Delta flights and higher priority boarding.

This...or elite status. I haven't flown in a while, but Delta Platinum Medallion status always avoided fees for me. The only issue is that a card (or elite status) only works on that airline and its partners.

[warriorchick]

This...or elite status. I haven't flown in a while, but Delta Platinum Medallion status always avoided fees for me. The only issue is that a card (or elite status) only works on that airline and its partners.

Or Southwest.  Two free bags for everyone. 

[4everwarriors]

Yeah, and free views of folks' butt crack as they jockey for limited bin space on that cattle car, hey?

[GooooMarquette]

Or Southwest.  Two free bags for everyone.

I haven't flown Southwest in years. Honest questions - do they still prevent you from reserving seats? If they allow it, do you have to pay extra or have some sort of elite status?

[4everwarriors]

Ewe kan reserve yo seat if yo kan nock da old lady, in front of ya, wile runnin' down da tarmac, hey?

[Benny B]

Or Southwest.  Two free bags for everyone.

If Spirit is the Greyhound of the skies, is Southwest the MegaBus?

[GGGG]

I haven't flown Southwest in years. Honest questions - do they still prevent you from reserving seats? If they allow it, do you have to pay extra or have some sort of elite status?

No but early bird check in puts you in the first fifteen boarding. Pretty much any seat then. $15 per flight.

[rocky_warrior]

No but early bird check in puts you in the first fifteen boarding. Pretty much any seat then. $15 per flight.

Minor nit - early bird checks you in automatically - likely anywhere from 30-60.  A-List and A-List Preferred board before those - usually 16-30.  1-15 is reserved for business select (the most expensive tickets), but usually you can upgrade to those positions at the airport for ~$40.

Disclaimer/Credentials: I've been on a Southwest flight > 60 times this year.

[YoungMUFan4]

No but early bird check in puts you in the first fifteen boarding. Pretty much any seat then. $15 per flight.

They've actually adjusted to Dynamic pricing for early bird check-in.  Anywhere from 15-25 now.

[GooooMarquette]

So at the end of the day, the only unique benefit of Southwest is the checked bag policy.

Seats sound like other airlines, but worse...you have to pay your way to better seating opportunities, either by flying all the time or by adding cash to the mix, but you never know exactly where you're sitting until you're actually on the plane. Oof.

[Archies Bat]

So at the end of the day, the only unique benefit of Southwest is the checked bag policy.

Seats sound like other airlines, but worse...you have to pay your way to better seating opportunities, either by flying all the time or by adding cash to the mix, but you never know exactly where you're sitting until you're actually on the plane. Oof.

I use several airlines, but I prefer Southwest because I find they tend to be on time more often, and cancel flights less.  That is important to me.

To me, all domestic flights tend to be cattle cars unless you are upfront, and getting where I need to be when I need to be there is the tiebreaker for me choosing SW when I can.

[rocket surgeon]

I haven't flown Southwest in years. Honest questions - do they still prevent you from reserving seats? If they allow it, do you have to pay extra or have some sort of elite status?

  within reason-yes.  multiple times, i will get on with my A-1 thru 7/8 and get my exit row seat without the seat in front of me and my wife will usually have something like A-20-30 or so and i don't recall anyone really even trying to sit next to me as there are so many still available.  when i get to the gate, i will inquire about the A-1thru 15.  if its below 7 or 8, i spend the extra $40.  hello exit row window.

   i have heard of people trying to save like 3-4-5 seats or more-that's horse hockey!  but what ya gonna do?  sit there and beach at em?  then you get your way, but ya have to sit next to some low life for 4 hours scowl at ya

    once i took that seat and a some big dude looking hung over as chit never taking his shades off sits in the aisle seat, leaving the middle seat empty between us.  people took one look at the guy and we had our deluxe accommodations all the way to vegas.  i thanked him and he growled something back to me

[rocky_warrior]

So at the end of the day, the only unique benefit of Southwest is the checked bag policy.

Not the only benefit. 
* No change fees is a HUGE benefit - plus you can generally cancel and get a credit to be used on another flight.  Also, if you change flights, and the new one is cheaper, you get a credit to use later.  Try that with any other airline!
* Flight attendants are generally nicer than other airlines.
* I don' think I've paid for a drink all year.  They keep sending me free drink coupons.
* A-List is pretty easy to get.

I'm sure there's more.  If not for everyone, but I prefer them over other airlines. 

[warriorchick]

Not the only benefit. 
* No change fees is a HUGE benefit - plus you can generally cancel and get a credit to be used on another flight.  Also, if you change flights, and the new one is cheaper, you get a credit to use later.  Try that with any other airline!
* Flight attendants are generally nicer than other airlines.
* I don' think I've paid for a drink all year.  They keep sending me free drink coupons.
* A-List is pretty easy to get.

I'm sure there's more.  If not for everyone, but I prefer them over other airlines.

Screw all that!  I want to know ahead of time exactly which seat I am going to sit in!   

[GGGG]

Minor nit - early bird checks you in automatically - likely anywhere from 30-60.  A-List and A-List Preferred board before those - usually 16-30.  1-15 is reserved for business select (the most expensive tickets), but usually you can upgrade to those positions at the airport for ~$40.

Disclaimer/Credentials: I've been on a Southwest flight > 60 times this year.

OK thanks.  That's right.

I haven't flown in awhile so I misspoke. 

[warriorchick]

OK thanks.  That's right.

I haven't flown in awhile so I misspoke.

Even so - As long as you are in the A boarding group you can pretty much get the kind of seat you want - aisle or window, front or back of plane, etc.  You can usually get your choice if aisle or window even if you are in the B boarding group.

[GGGG]

Even so - As long as you are in the A boarding group you can pretty much get the kind of seat you want - aisle or window, front or back of plane, etc.  You can usually get your choice if aisle or window even if you are in the B boarding group.

Yep.  I care much more about getting space for my carry on rather than knowing where I am sitting. 

[MomofMUltiples]

This...or elite status. I haven't flown in a while, but Delta Platinum Medallion status always avoided fees for me. The only issue is that a card (or elite status) only works on that airline and its partners.

Elite status is great - I'm Diamond on Delta and the perks are amazing. If only I didn't have to fly so dang much to get there...

[GooooMarquette]

Elite status is great - I'm Diamond on Delta and the perks are amazing. If only I didn't have to fly so dang much to get there...

I never hit Diamond, but was Platinum on NW and then Delta for many years. Loved the perks - my favorites were the upgrades to Biz on family trips to Europe and Asia - but as you said, the constant travel got tiresome.

Now I no longer travel for work and both daughters are on their own and living within easy driving distance, so airports are mostly in my past.

[GooooMarquette]

Screw all that!  I want to know ahead of time exactly which seat I am going to sit in!   

It isn't so much the exact seat ( ), but knowing my family would be together on vacations without having to coax other passengers, or getting in exit rows, or other benefits of reserved seating.

[warriorchick]

It isn't so much the exact seat ( ), but knowing my family would be together on vacations without having to coax other passengers, or getting in exit rows, or other benefits of reserved seating.

In 20+ years of family travel on Southwest, that's never happened to us. Family Boarding is after group B so it's never an issue. There are a few times when I have witnessed a flight attendant bribe a passenger with free drinks to move so a honeymooning couple could sit together, but really, anyone who checks in at the 24-hour mark has no problem whatsoever in sitting together. 

[ZiggysFryBoy]

It isn't so much the exact seat ( ), but knowing my family would be together on vacations without having to coax other passengers, or getting in exit rows, or other benefits of reserved seating.

If you cant find seats together for the fam, give one of the kids a pinch on the arm, make em start crying.   Nobody wants to sit by a crying kid.

[4everwarriors]

Four does diggin' WN, y'all likely think Ponderosa iz value and Gibson's iz a waist of scratch, aina?

[4everwarriors]

And folks wunder y our endowment iz sew low, hey?