I feel it is protected to say that I’m TPG’s resident Southwest Airways fangirl.
I grew up flying Southwest completely, so I spent my early journey years assuming that free checked baggage, a high-stakes check-in course of and selecting a seat away from the screaming child had been all a part of the common flying expertise.
Shade me shocked once I finally discovered these experiences had been distinctive to flying Southwest — and many individuals prevented the airline in favor of elite standing, potential seat upgrades and airport lounge entry with their most popular airline of alternative.
A few of my fellow TPGers felt assured I might abandon my Southwest loyalty as soon as I skilled my first business-class improve on one other airline. However to their bewilderment, flying different airways has solely solidified my love for Southwest. Because it seems, I worth the power to maneuver seats greater than the choice to pick extra “elevated” snacks like chocolate quinoa (no matter that’s).
It is not simply nostalgia that retains me coming again to Southwest Airways. In a time when so many are abandoning or switching their airline loyalty, listed below are the explanations you may nonetheless discover me flying Southwest — and why you could need to be a part of me.
(When you occur to agree with me about Southwest being a best choice, know that three of the private Southwest cobranded playing cards are providing elevated welcome bonuses of 75,000 bonus factors after you spend $3,000 within the first three months from account opening, however solely till Dec. 11.)
Now, let’s bounce into it.
Nice values
Southwest is commonly considered as a funds airline, and for good motive. There are a number of ways in which flying Southwest can prevent cash if you journey.
Gross sales
Usually, I discover Southwest’s costs are fairly good. I take advantage of its low-fare calendar to see prices in money or factors and select journey dates with the very best obtainable offers once I can.
Each day Publication
Reward your inbox with the TPG Each day publication
Be part of over 700,000 readers for breaking information, in-depth guides and unique offers from TPG’s consultants
However the place it actually comes by with low costs is throughout its common gross sales. Each few weeks, I get an e-mail alerting me that Southwest is providing low fares — typically as little as $39 to $59 one-way.
These gross sales are a good time to e-book new journey and test the value of any present bookings. Southwest makes it straightforward to rebook the identical flight to benefit from a cheaper price, a perk that usually saves me hundreds of factors when rebooking flights.
Associated: The right way to rebook a Southwest flight when the fare adjustments
Companion Go
In all probability essentially the most useful providing from Southwest Airways is its Companion Go, which lets you deliver a companion with you without cost (plus taxes and costs) on limitless flights for a minimum of a full calendar yr.
Since I normally journey solo, this explicit perk hasn’t saved me a lot cash. Nevertheless, I’ve watched my mother and father simply save hundreds of {dollars} in journey with their Compansion Passes through the years.
And Southwest cobranded bank cards make incomes a Companion Go attainable for many individuals. That is a large perk — particularly contemplating that the majority different airways tout a single companion ticket as a useful perk on their cobranded playing cards.
Associated: The right way to earn and use the Southwest Companion Go
Free checked baggage
Many people are proudly carry-on-only vacationers, however all of us have occasions once we actually need or need to test a bag.
The price of checking baggage varies amongst airways, however you are typically charged a minimum of $30 for a primary bag and $40 for a second one if you do not have a bank card or standing with the airline that means that you can skip these charges.
In the meantime, Southwest permits every passenger to test their first two baggage for no further value. Which means that a household of 4 may test as much as eight baggage earlier than incurring any charges — saving them tons of of {dollars} on high of any cash they saved by reserving their journey throughout a Southwest sale.
Associated: Why I all the time test a bag once I fly
No change or cancellation charges
Usually, funds airways promote good flight offers solely to tack on additional charges later, however you will not discover this to be the case with Southwest Airways.
The most effective issues about Southwest is that it does not cost additional charges when it is advisable to make a change after reserving your journey. When you cancel your flight, you may obtain a factors refund or flight credit score proper again into your Speedy Rewards account.
If it is advisable to change, you’ll be able to rebook for no further value aside from the fare distinction or benefit from free same-day standby.
Associated: The right way to change or cancel a Southwest Airways flight
Simplicity
For these of us who discover journey planning overwhelming, Southwest’s reserving simplicity is a large perk. There aren’t any accomplice airways to navigate, no distinction in seat sorts or quantity of bags allowed with totally different fare sorts.
Easy incomes and redeeming
Past the normal technique of incomes factors by flying Southwest, it is easy to rack up Speedy Rewards factors by bank card spending. You need to use a cobranded Southwest bank card to earn Speedy Rewards factors straight, or you should use a card that earns Chase Final Rewards factors after which switch these factors to your Speedy Rewards account.
Southwest does not accomplice with different airways or belong to an airline alliance, so the Speedy Rewards program is particularly good for learners and those that endure from factors evaluation paralysis.
Merely earn your factors after which use them to e-book your flight. Southwest determines a ticket’s level worth by its money worth at a fee of round 1.5 cents per level, so you’ll be able to really feel nice figuring out you’ve got gotten an excellent worth with out spending hours studying tips on how to finagle the very best redemption.
If you wish to maximize your factors, search for the lowest-fare tickets. Much like different airways, Southwest tends to supply higher offers on much less handy routes, like early or late flights on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Nonetheless, I have been in a position to snag some killer offers on handy nonstop routes by reserving (or re-pricing) throughout Southwest’s periodic gross sales.
Associated: Your full information to Southwest Speedy Rewards
Extra nonstop choices
Southwest makes use of extra of a point-to-point route community than a standard hub-and-spoke mannequin; this permits the airline to supply extra nonstop and extra environment friendly route choices than many airways. Since I do not dwell close to a real hub for any airline, I particularly admire that I haven’t got to waste time flying previous my residence airport to get to a hub earlier than I can get residence.
Equality
Southwest perks are fairly evenly doled out to passengers. Everybody will get the identical first-come, first-served seating alternative, in addition to the identical free checked baggage and the identical inflight snack choices. Apart from just a few variations in fare kind, there aren’t many choices to make when reserving a ticket with Southwest.
If you wish to skip to the entrance of the boarding line and enhance your probabilities of getting an excellent seat, you’ll be able to pay for the privilege. For instance, passengers should buy upgraded boarding to snag one of many first 15 boarding positions. You can even buy EarlyBird Verify-In, however these are choices obtainable to everybody and never a part of some difficult hierarchy of passengers.
Moreover, Southwest has 4 totally different fare sorts: Enterprise Choose, Anytime, Wanna Get Away Plus and Wanna Get Away. Enterprise Choose is the most costly possibility and contains perks like an automated A1-A15 boarding place and free inflight Wi-Fi. Nonetheless, these choices can be found (and normally comparatively reasonably priced) to everybody — no million-mile standing required.
Associated: The right way to snag the very best seats on Southwest Airways
Bank card lineup
Southwest affords a number of methods to earn Speedy Rewards factors by bank card spending. The Southwest cobranded bank card lineup contains three private and two enterprise playing cards, and you too can select to switch your Chase Final Rewards factors to your Speedy Rewards account.
As a factors and miles fanatic and Southwest devotee, I’ve had a number of Southwest bank cards through the years.
I began with the Southwest Speedy Rewards Plus Credit score Card, the lowest-tier private card with only a $69 annual price. It comes with restricted perks, but it surely was excellent once I was studying to navigate bank card rewards.
Just lately, I received the Southwest Speedy Rewards Premier Enterprise Credit score Card and am at the moment working to earn my welcome bonus. I like that it has an affordable $99 annual price and comes with 6,000 bonus anniversary factors in addition to two free EarlyBird Verify-Ins every year.
After I’m paying for eating or basic journey, nonetheless, I attain for my Chase Sapphire Reserve.
It earns an elevated 3 factors per greenback on these purchases, which I can switch at a 1:1 ratio to Southwest Speedy Rewards or any of Chase’s 13 different lodge and airline companions. Word, nonetheless, that you simply will not get to rely these factors towards Companion Go qualification — you may need to spend on a cobranded card if that is your objective.
No matter your priorities, it is easy to rack up Speedy Rewards by on a regular basis bank card spending with this vary of choices.
Associated: The very best Southwest Airways bank cards
Drawbacks
Nobody factor is ideal for everybody, and there are actually individuals who will not discover Southwest Airways as lovable or proper for his or her wants as I do.
Primarily home routes
Southwest primarily flies home routes, though it additionally flies to some (largely tropical) worldwide locations. I fly extra home than worldwide routes, so Southwest typically has routes to the locations I would like. Nevertheless, somebody who often flies internationally will discover Southwest’s routes inadequate.
Restricted elite perks
When you’re somebody who relishes the perks you get out of your airline’s elite standing program, put together to be disillusioned by Southwest.
Southwest does not provide a wide range of seat sorts, so you will not discover a first-class cabin or perhaps a premium financial system possibility. This implies there is not any hope of getting a seat improve if you fly Southwest. That mentioned, the sooner you get on, the higher your odds of snagging the nearly “infinite legroom” seat within the exit row, so a minimum of there’s that.
Associated: What’s Southwest Airways elite standing value?
Open seating
Talking of seats, I view the open seating coverage on Southwest as a profit. It offers me the pliability to decide on a seat away from crying infants and bachelorette events. Nevertheless, the check-in and boarding course of may be worrying for these accustomed to deciding on their most popular seat forward of time.
If you wish to safe an early boarding spot, you’ll be able to pay for EarlyBird Verify-In ($15 or extra per one-way flight), which checks you in routinely 24 hours earlier than your flight; additional, an upgraded boarding place ($30 or extra per phase) locations you within the first 15 boarding spots.
Since saving cash is certainly one of my priorities once I journey, I are likely to skip these and as a substitute set an alarm to remind me to test in precisely 24 hours earlier than my Southwest flight.
Whereas there aren’t any ensures, this typically will get me a adequate boarding place to snag my most popular aisle seat; I do not trouble paying for EarlyBird Verify-In or an upgraded boarding except I will not be capable of test in on time earlier than a protracted flight. It solely took one late check-in and a center seat on a cross-country flight to persuade me that paying for this one luxurious could possibly be value it.
It’s also value noting, nonetheless, that flying solo makes it simpler to discover a good seat. Giant events could have extra restricted choices to sit down collectively if they do not handle to get a boarding group quantity towards the entrance of the method.
Associated: The right way to get seats collectively on Southwest Airways
Backside line
After I’m flying internationally, I am airline agnostic: I am going to fly whichever airline is least expensive or e-book the ticket I can most simply cowl with my stash of factors and miles.
However once I’m flying someplace Southwest Airways can take me, you’ll be able to wager I’ll select it. With good offers, nonstop choices, free checked baggage and open seating, you may discover me flying Southwest each likelihood I get.
Associated studying:
Apply right here: Southwest Speedy Rewards Plus Credit score Card
Apply right here: Southwest Speedy Rewards Premier Credit score Card
Apply right here: Southwest Speedy Rewards Precedence Credit score Card
