Up to this point, I am not a frequent flyer of Southwest Airlines; only flying them once before writing this article. As a Platinum member of American Airlines AAdvantage program, I’ve always viewed flying Southwest with fear as I imagine being stampeded during the boarding process or being subjected to an ongoing standup comedy routine from take-off to touchdown. From what I am hearing lately from ex-legacy frequent flyers, I need to lose the fear and lighten up while I am at it!
Almost every time I come across comments from
passengers that have flown Southwest, they are positive to say the least. Just two days ago, I received a photo of a coach seat on a Southwest 737, taken by a passenger who was pleasantly surprised by what he called an “unbelievable seat”, commenting on the supple leather upholstery, the overall design and even the seat pitch. This reader went on to mention how spotless the carpets were on the aircraft and also how pleasant and professional the flight crew had been on the flight. One other mention was of the need for Southwest to update their logo. As trivial as that may sound, I agree and think an update of the Southwest brand may actually cause other airlines to lose their balance. Brains and looks?
Photo sent to me by a passenger who's jumped from AA to Southwest
I’ve decided to give Southwest a “fly” very soon. I am just trying to decide on the route in which I am willing to give up my upgrade to first class that I receive most of the time when I fly “the” legacy airline. I’ve been told that once I fly them I may not return to my legacy ways, but just in case, Southwest has been stepping up their frequent flier program to offer flyers much of what they’ve gotten used to at the legacy carriers.
Would I want to become a preferred member of the Southwest Airlines A-List? Here are the benefits to help you, help me decide:
Priority Boarding, 100% Earning Bonus, Standby Priority, Priority Check-in and Security Lane Access, Dedicated A-List Preferred Member Phone Line, Free Inflight WiFi
Right off the bat, I will tell you that there are a couple of things I would suggest that Southwest get to thinking about in order to lure superficial people like me onto their flights
:Southwest Airlines rebranding
I need a sleeker, hipper, more modern feeling Southwest to look at with new colors and snappier looking planes. I may be the only one since they have no problem whatsoever filling their planes!
Introduce a Southwest A-List Lounge
Southwest should consider creating their own brand of airport lounges to improve the travel experience for those needing special treatment and others craving attention in order to feel more important (yes, I will admit that this sounds like me). Plus, lets be real, those who travel more frequently love having a way to escape from the masses whenever possible, no?
Well, I am off to www.southwest.com to plan my trip and find out why so many people have kept Southwest as the most well-like and profitable airlines for so many years.
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Thanks to a corporate travel agreement, I found myself flying Southwest between PHL-DEN last week. I had a 6am flight, and was trying to prepare myself for what I was sure was going to be a stampede to take all the precious window seats before me and my group B boarding pass were even in line.
Yeah…that totally didn’t happen. In fact, thanks to that group/number boarding system, boarding was the most civilized thing I’ve seen in ages. No gate lice, no stampede, and I got a window seat. (Don’t judge me, I had to make up my hours of sleep on the plane.)
There were some annoyingly kitschy moments where the flight attendants had to go down the roster of first time flyers and birthday boys and girls, and the singing flight attendant, but all in all, I’d be willing to pay my own money to fly Southwest again.
I’d have to completely disagree with the decision to give them a try. I’d rather pay more for air fare and fly American, Delta or United. The staff at Southwest is typically unprofessional and uninformative. Example: my last flight most of the pax had a short turnaround time between connections to board the flight. Normally I’m not concerned about baggage but this was extremely tight. When I asked the attendant about it he drolly told me he didn’t handle bags. Thanks for that insight! The cattle call seating sucks unless you’re traveling alone. I’ve been elbowed out by the large person next to me, shoved by people jockeying to get in front of me in the B section, and separated from my husband. In fact- a bad seating process every time I’ve flown SW. Maybe the person above on that route at 6 am was lucky to have more professional experienced travelers. Avoid unless it’s your only option! Not worth the savings!
OK. I am taking all of the advice from right here, Facebook and Twitter to help me continue to shop for a new airline!
Nah, I think I’ll pass. I too am AA plat and prefer the tried and true. No new experiences for this frequent flyer. Hmmm taking the plunge on AirTran next week but going business. My fear of flying coach mandated this decision. Plus AA doesn’t fly to Kohler, Wisconsin.
Hi Vicki! Let me know how your trip goes. It is so sad that the AirTran business class will be fading away when they merge with Southwest!!!
I have flown SWA several times but prefer the legacy carriers over them. I get weary of the silliness, the jokes (that are not that funny), and the singing FA’s. I just prefer a more professional setting when I travel. First impressions are lasting – they need to upgrade their FA uniforms from shorts/polo shirts to a more tailored look.
Just my thoughts.