Southwest Airlines Review

I grew up in the great Southwest, so it was a real blow to lose my favorite airline in the late '80s when I moved to Florida. Thank goodness, my wait is over; they have arrived and I can once again fly Southwest!

Southwest is one of the few airlines that allows its customers to purchase one-way tickets without penalizing them. WOO HOO! It also has a teriffic, easy-to-navigate web site that responds to searches by trying to help you find a lower fare. How great is that?

I often use Southwest to do a three-legged trip, a great way to keep in touch with friends when fairly close by for another purpose. Each year, Souhtwest has added more destinations, and now they go almost anywhere I want to fly, although, of course, their connections can't always be the best.

When you fly Southwest, pay attention to those normally-boring flight attendant speeches. You are in for some humorous surprises! I've only flown one Southwest flight in the last 10 years that didn't have the entire plane laughing out loud at takeoff and landing. In today's world, that is basically miraculous.

Boarding is unusual and somewhat controversial, but I like the way it has been for years: Get there early, you're an A. A's board first. Get there next, you're a B. You pick out your own seat when you get on the plane. Think fast, people!

Libby's Hot Tip: If the present boarding system continues, here's a way to guarantee yourself a good seatmate. Find out if the plane is full. If it is, don't board last, but don't board early. "B" boarding passes work great; better, in fact, than A. If you're a B, you can choose the people you want to sit next to, and complete a row, instead of getting there first, nabbing what you think will be a great seat, then having a problem person choose to sit next to you. See what I mean?

I like Southwest's Rewards system, and am looking into switching to the Southwest Airlines credit card, which also helps earn free trips even faster. Southwest even has an above-average in-flight magazine. Snacks are still just peanuts or carbs-in-a-pouch, but that falls under the very large category of "Oh Well." ;-) Time to read the reviews on airport restaurants.....

Bottom Line: Libby Loves It!