Southwest Airlines Community

There are occasional flights where I agree, such as those tight connections where you just make it and boarding positions are moot but most of the time I like it.  I fly AA also and, for the most part, getting an aisle seat usually means paying a premium.   As far as the confusion on newbies I do see that occasionally however the friendly, helpful flight attendants quicky clear up the confusion. ... View more

Here is a tip though, check to see if your destination has US Immigration Pre-Clearnace which means that you will pass through US Immigration BEFORE departing your foreign destination.  While this saves time upon arriving in the US, it can take time on check in.  We flew to Aruba and upon return the process was this:   Check in at Southwest and check bags Go through Aruba departure passport control Go through airport security screening Walk though terminal to enter US Immigration area Collect your checked luggage that you had previously checked in Go through US Immigration and Customs Drop off your checked bags Go through another airport security screening (where you have touched your checked luggage) Go to gate     ... View more

If you are switching from Southwest to Wow in Boston, be sure to leave more than enought time as Southwest flies in and out of the A Terminal remote annex and Wow is in the E Terminal (International).  You either need to cut across the parking garage or take a shuttle.   Assuming you will be connecting via Reykjavik on Wow?  I took Icelandair to Amsterdam out of Boston last year and had to connect in Reykjavik.  Immigration was easy as Iceland is part of the Schengen so no immigration in Germany.  I just wished I had done a "stopover" of a day in Iceland to see it while passing through.  Next time..... ... View more

I have to think Canada is in the cards.  I used to travel in and out of Buffalo quite a bit and it actually felt like an international flight as a lot of people were from Ontario. ... View more

Sounds like a great idea.  I hit Marriott Lifetime Platinum recently and would love to strive for sometihng with WN. ... View more

I find WN's point structure to be great and points are easy to use.  I have used them for many family vacations without an issue.  I have taken the family to many US destiantions and was excited with the route expansion that I was able to use them for Aruba as well!   I have many miles on AA also but they are so difficult to use for flights I usually just save them to upgrade my company paid coach seat to First class on Transcon flights. ... View more

I have had that happend several times.  I usually just line up behind A 60 and there usually isn't an issue. ... View more

As for the boarding sequence within the A List Preferred and A List categories, I believe you poition is determined by when you purchased the ticket.  For example the first A List Preferred person to buy a ticket for the flight would be A 16 and followed by the next A List Preferred member.  There may be more to it but that has been my experience. ... View more

Where Southwest's boarding process is unique, newbie's are oftern overwhelmed and confused.  I will politley ask what # they are and assist.  When they do try to board the gate agent should enforce gross discrepancies for example B36 trying to board infront of A20, as opposed to A22 in front of A20.   Years ago when I first started flying Southwest I thought the whole lining up process and open seating was crazy however, now when I fly AA I wish I was on WN especially for the boarding as on AA there is a scrum at the boarding door and is difficult to cut through when your group is called. ... View more

I have flown AA recently too due to some routes that I had to take that were direct and cheaper than WN.  The new AA seats are really nice and I do like the power but I did read that AA is eliminating the monitors as most people have devices (WN was ahead of the curve on this!) and is reducing seat pitch in many rows.   Would be nice to get power at some point on WN but not a showstopper. ... View more

I have missed A List preferred the past 2 years by a couple flights and that is the one thing I miss is the free WiFi.  My flights are usually short hops so it is not worth the price to buy the internet but when I had it for free for a couple of years, it was a nice plus. ... View more

I ran into the same situation and I just gave them to the FA and told her to make the next few people's days.  I had some very happy fellow passengers.   I usually get more than I can use so, if I someone in my row gets an "adult beverage" and are reaching for a credit card, I will often hand the FA the coupon before they can get their CC out.  I had it happen to me in the past before I flew enough to earn coupons and it made my day. ... View more

I signed up for Global Entry ($100 for 5 years) vs PreCheck ($85 for 5 years).  I have only used GE once and it saved me an hour waiting in Immigation.   I love PreCheck as I can usually sail through security.  Even when traveling during off hours when PreCheck may not be open you are usually able to do "expedited" screening which is still faster.   I do not like when low risk non PreCheck travelers are sent through the PreCheck line as most PreCheck people are frequent fliers and know the drill therefore it goes quick.  Non PreCheck people are not aware of the rules (not their fault) and it slows down the line.    ... View more