In one word... speedy. Usually not delayed, and they don't make you pay for drinks. Sadly, that puts them ahead of most airlines now...

I have flown Southwest 8 times in the past two years and had only 1 good experience. My very first time I traveled with my baby from Baltimore to Orlando. Unfortunately for me, he spit-up all over me after finishing his bottle. I stood up to go to the front of the plane to use the bathroom, to try to clean us both up. The flight attendant yelled at me and told me that someone was in the restroom, and due to 9/11 flight policies I cannot stand to wait to use the bathroom, I had to use the bathroom in the back of the plane. I totally understand the policy, they obviously don't want anyone standing near the cockpit, but I did not appreciate being yelled at. I apologized to her, but I was covered in spit-up and when I asked her for some paper towels, she rolled her eyes and huffed. She did however, hand me some paper towels
The last time I flew we checked our last piece of luggage 45 minutes before our take-off. We did know their policy that if a piece of luggage is checked in 45 minutes or less before your take-off it will deem a late check-in and not be on your flight. When we checked that particular piece of luggage we asked it was late, and we were told no, that it would be on our flight. It wasn't. When we arrived in Orlando they were very rude and were told that it was our problem, b/c we were late checking in. We told them we asked if it was going to be late when we checked it in, in Baltimore and were told no. What stank was that it was something we could have carried on. While my husband was arguing with the ladies in the baggage claim, I was yelled at by another representative, about my parenting.
I was standing outside the baggage claim office with 3 pieces of luggage, a 1 year old and a 3 year old. I was holding my 3 year old who was cranky by this time and got away from me and wanted to join his father in the Baggage Claim office. I picked up my 1 year old, leaving my luggage and my purse behind and ran after my oldest, he managed to open the glass doors, and squeezed in, but almost pinched his fingers. A SW employee helped keep the door open so he could squeeze in. She looked at me and told me I need to be careful with my children. I thanked her for helping my son, and said that he got away from me. She then moved very close to me, put her finger in my face, and sternly asked me "what kind of mother would let a child get away from her." She said I needed to be very careful, b/c the doors close very quickly, they are heavy and he could get hurt. I was stunned. She then repeated what she said to me again even louder. A woman next to me, who witnessed the entire thing, came to my defense, but the SW employee just mumbled something to herself, went into the office, complained about me to another person at the counter, and walked in the back of the office. Eventually we did get our piece of luggage, but it took 2 days of arguing.
I will never fly SW again.

Had a recent flight from Ontario, CA to BWI. Checked in the evening before & had boarding number B-58. When I boarded there were several window seats available, As I attempted to sit in the first one, the gentleman in the aisle seat informed me he was saving it for his wife. Okay...move onto the next window seat, of cours it was being saved for someone also. What's the sense of getting a boarding number if people who board before you 'save' the seats for someone with a boarding number that boards after you? The flight attendants told me to find another seat & were not helpful in applying their airline policy.

I don't care for this airline & will avoid them if at all possible.

In an attempt to become more broadly appealing, Southwest has managed to transform itself from fun, cool and stress-free into an aging, authority-bound airline that falls short for every one of its customers and does nothing to make up for its mistakes.

I'll start by saying that I used to love Southwest when I lived on the east coast (3 years ago) and used them for shuttle flights from Philly to Boston. You can't beat $29-49 per way, and their service was the best in the air at that time. It was also pretty easy to take advantage of their rewards program, even if you weren't a frequent, long-distance traveler.

Unfortunately, Southwest has made a number of changes in recent years that dramatically reduce the likelihood that I'll ever fly them again, even if they have the lowest price fare.

Their new boarding process is stressful and irritating. The cattle-call style boarding process they were famous for in the past was easy. All I had to do was check in early and camp out in line for a while. Now I get to have weird interactions with other passengers who can't deal with the fact that I really don't care if I'm a spot or two behind my "official place in line" and would try to help me to reestablish Order in the World. Chill out, folks.

Their approach to customer service is to lie and avoid accountability at all costs. The last time I flew Southwest, they stranded 3 of us on our way to Austin, Texas for a conference. After we had already agreed to fly into Dallas to drive the rest of the way since they wouldn't book us on a flight to Austin on the same day, the woman "helping" us proceeded to lie to us about the arrival time in Dallas by 3 hours. They didn't cover the cost of the rental car either, despite the fact that we were bumped because the original flight was overbooked.

All the above is somewhat forgivable, but this last issue is downright deceptive and will inevitably cause travelers loads of unforeseen problems:

A direct flight on Southwest means no such thing...if you don't have to get off the plane, they don't tell you about the fact that you'll be stopping in other cities. This is hugely problematic in inclement weather. If I buy a "direct flight" to Boston at say...Christmas, and turns out it stops in Chicago where there's a blizzard, I get grounded, my parents are sad, my holiday is ruined, etc.

Similarly, catching a real layover after a fake layover somewhere that can't handle a flake or two of snow (like say....Dallas) will ensure that I don't make it to my final destination on time.

Flying is stressful enough, and other airlines are getting pretty cheap now too. Saving $10 by flying Southwest just isn't worth it.

Southwest is great, except if you live around Memphis, you have to drive to Nashville to catch Southwest because they don't come to Memphis. Southwest is usually on time for us, which is great. I love how the snacks are free, and that helps a lot. They are considerbly cheaper than any other airline out there, and it is a great value. The flight attendants are usually friendly with Southwest. I recommend easily Southwest for any flight inside the US.

I love that you can cancel your flight at any time for future credit with the airline. They are best used for regional flights, though. It is pretty difficult to find a direct flight, and there are typically multiple layovers (especially with rewards flights). Really only works if you have a day on either side of travel to waste.

I think the beauty of Southwest is that you can change your flight. No matter what. They don't charge you extra for it and they don't ask questions..well, not many questions at least ;) Some airlines charge fees up to $150.00 for changing or missing a flight and that is no good! Also, flying with Southwest has always been fun to me. The staff and flight crew are usually helpful and nice and it seems most of the time they all have a sense of humor too! One time they even sang me Happy Birthday and bumped me up to First Class all for noticing it was my Birthday! The flights are cheaper and they offer great sales and specilas all the time! I'd recommend checking out Southwest before a few of the other airlines out there!

Southwest Airlines is one of the best airlines in the world. Their staff is always nice and informative, and they always try to make the trip a little bit more comfortable. Prices are generally lower than the competition, although seats on their planes are a bit small. Overall, a great deal to be had.

(Update)

It's a flying bus depot- but at least they don't give me sneaky luggage-fees. Is there anything more annoying?


(Original review.)

Good prices. . .I wouldn't take a flight longer than 2 hours. . .above-average customer service. I am surprised to read the other reviews because I have flown Southwest several times and never had a delayed flight. I like the cattle-call seating. . .it makes people hurry up and get in line. Their baggage-handlers put a big hole in my suitcase but they replaced it no charge. . .I was satisfied. All-in-all, a good no-frills airline.

The very best in customer service. Usually very good rates. If you can't make your flight you can use it anytime that year without penalties, and you can even give it to someone else. You'll have troubles finding another airline that flexible. It is what it is, if you don't like the seating arrangements book with another airline. I don't have kids so it works great for me. If they had lost my luggage I would be very mad though. I have flown many different airlines and Southwest is my favorite. Other than flying first class. Just because you have children others do not have to bend over backwards for you. As much as I cant wait to have children of my own someday, I do understand that life is going to get more difficult once I have them. You get what you pay for, if you want to be treated like a king, pay the extra money and fly first class with someone else.

Just thought I'd mention that Southwest has the most pathetic website of any airline - and I fly them all on a regular basis. There are no options to check flight schedules, to check flight statuses for any day other than today, or even to view your $%*#$ itinerary if you happen to have a non-changeable ticket. To top it off, if you go to the Contact Us portion of the site (and it's not easy to even find that option), there is not an option to send e-mail. You either have to call them or snail mail.

No wonder they tout their lack of complaints - they don't give you an option to lodge one.

These clowns are a disgrace!

It figures this turkey flies out of Texas - Probably founded by Dubya Bush and the dumerasels.

I flew SW one time. Never again. I will walk first.

I still had money left because I bought two tickets and 1 person was in the hospital. They would not give me a refund and out of the kindness of their brick hearts, they put the money on account for one year.

Fortunately I found some dummy that wanted to fly and bought a ticket through me. In the end, I got my money back, but it was no thanks to these money-grubbing thieves.

If you feel something hit you in the back, it's your change.

I live in Denver and usually fly Frontier (who I love) or United for international. Recently, I had the displeasure of flying Southwest. What a joke! The plane was dirty, trash in the seat pockets. The flight attendants were unprofessional and the A/C wasn't working properly so we had to suffer all the way to LAX in a hot cabin! Never again! Denver better wise up and support Frontier, or at least United.

I just flew SW Business Select from PHX to ONT. The crew was very friendly and the plane was clean and on time each way. The seating by section thing is great. You just book online, check in on line (the day before) and then get in your spot. No pushing, shoving or crowding - very civilized. I think the folks who have a problem with this are the ones who arrive late and try to push you out of the way with their luggage when the general boarding call announcement is made. I'd just as soon have them fly another airline.

They do have cheaper flights, but unless you live in or near a big city, forget it, because Southwest doesn't serve your airport.

I hate flying SW but from Austin to las Vegas there's no other direct flights. Usually it's just uncomfortable but my last flight was made more so by a rude gay bleach blonde male stewardess. Sitting on an exit row I didn't notice him giving his safety speech since I had headphones on. He caught my eye and I removed them and said "What ?" He proceded to inform me he could have me removed ! Minutes later he scolded me for having my straw hat on the floor between my feet and not under the seat in front of me. Like it was going to become a deadly missle, what a jerk ! The folks around me laughed behind his back and branded me a troublemaker for the rest of the flight.

The media say southwest is great.................If you are a college student or some one has died its fine..............otherwise its a stinking cattle car....no frills....the reason no one complains is beacause they offer nothing but a seat..What to complain about..Its called I DONT CARE AIRWAYS...............And i think BUSH has something to to with them....just like 911

Most people like or hate this airline,i'm in between thier fares to most markets are about the same as any other airline,you just have to shop around,however they do offer short haul routes that are very cheap.The only thing that I would say negative is that if you fly from the east coast to west,be prepared and bring a good book,and check in online early 24 hours in advance so you can get a seat of your choice. you will be deplaning and reboarding several times.

I asked about family seating on a flight to Orlando. The gate attendant had a snicker on her face, and said my daughter had to be 4, or else, we were not eligible for family seating. Got on the plane. Took an aisle seat, and the overhead bin was filled with pillows. Shoved them aside, and put my carryon in the bin. Was yelled at by a flight attendant skulking behind me. Watch this same attendants rude instructions on opening the door. I paid attention even though I was behind the exit row. Guess what I was in an exit area. The rude attendant asked me if I could open the door. I said "I can pull down the handle, ma'am" in an equally rude voice back. I though Northwest was the pits until I flew on Southwest. Southwest is a cattle hauler. Don't get me started on Spirit. That's another cattle hauler.

For all of you family travelers, Don't Fly Southwest. I watched as families were seperated because of Southwest's open seating plan. Pay the extra $20 and go with another airline to get assigned seating. If there aren't any open seats your 5 year old will sit by themselves, or your wife will be forced to sit next to a stranger even though you spent you hard earned money to buy a ticket for a short vacation....Don't fly Southwest until they stop this crazy open seating policy.

i dont have very many problems with them and thier prices are pretty good!
bad customer servise though.

First of all SW really is a horrible company if you have any problems with customer relations they either have you write to them which takes months! or they TRY to help you and then deny everything you ask for. If your flights get delayed or cancelled be prepared they will not help you at all for the night, its your problem. The rapid rewards program is horrible and they only allow for 5 or 6 seats on a plane with RR which are almost always sold out! No one at the reservation centers know what they are talking about, they give you no information. The reservation centers and the airport and NEVER on the same page. They treat you like crap. Baggage is always lost and there service is getting worse and worse. PS lookout for their fares online they will do anything to screw you over by making those "cheap" fares only good on certain days or amount of money spent previously. i strongly advise against flying SW they are horrible and will end up going down sooner or later.

Always lose luggage, always late, always poor service. I have travelled with Southwest a number of times now and they are what they are ... a budget airline. I don't have a problem with that but when they lose your luggage on 3 straight trips and are downright rude about it, it's time to tell it like it is. These guys just aren't worth the aggrevation. They are recommending getting to the airport 2 hours before domestic flights. Give me a break. Avoid at all costs!

A big thanks to Southwest Airlines who came out to a marketing event and raffled off a pair of round trip tickets to those who signed up for their business frequent flyer program. We'll, I won. Woohoo. Went to Vegas with my wife for a romantic getaway. Not so romantic when they lose your luggage. I mean everything. They were kind enough to let us spend a whole 50 dollars while we were there to get the "necessities".
The real kicker though. Because they gave us the tickets as a gift, they will only cover 450.00 of our losses. Basically, the price of one of our bags (which was samsonite "spinner") WAS a very nice wedding gift.
Thanks Soutwest. Great way o treat a guest. Nobody at my company will ever fly Southwest Airlines again.

I used Southwest for my trip to Sacramento from Philly and it was a mess (both ways). While going, I got booted out from the flight with the explanation that we should be at boarding gate 10 mins prior to the departure (my wife was still on the flight). I pointed out the airport watch to that attendent and there was still 14 mins left for the flight!! After realizing that they screwed up, they agreed to put us together on a different flight. (we didnt wanted to travel separately and our original flight was full). Now instead of 1 stop, we had to stop twice before we reached Sacramento and when we reached SMF, one of our bags was missing.

While returning, there was a storm in california and all the flights were delayed. We managed to reach the airport 1 hour 15 mins prior to departure. We had to check in our luggage (we had our boarding passes printed online) and it took us 2 hrs to do that. There was madness at the airport, power was down and airport was running on back up power. The monitors were not accurate and the staff didnt handle the situation well. So our flight now was leaving at 2:45 PM instead of 12:20 PM and when we checked in our bags it was 1:10 PM. When we reached the gate, the airline crew told us they dont have a gate for our flight yet, so we need to "hang around". After half an hour, we were called and put on a different flight (via Las vegas instead of Phoenix). I asked specifically about our bags and the crew told me they will do best to re-route them. We finally reached Philly at 1 AM (4 hrs late) and guess what, we again didnt get one of our bags!

Now the actual fun begins, they refused to deliver the bag because it seems it was "Late Checked". I had to raise my tone to explain that we were not late, the airport was a mess and al the flights were delayed or were cancelled.

This is my first and last Southwest experience. Will never fly again with them.

wonderful!

I have flown on Southwest 23 one ways in the last 24 months with really no problems. I have always chosen Southwest because of the seating policy. I would check in right at 24 hours prior and everytime get A boarding. But now with their new boarding... all business customers automatically get A boarding and anyone who has flown 36 one ways in a 24 month period. Since then, the 3 times I have flown since, I have had 1 B boarding and 2 C boarding. And even though I like to sit at the rear of the plane, I still didn't get the seat I was looking for which is always a window. They tell me I have to fly 13 more one ways before Feb 2008 to get the A boarding!! The only reason why I have stayed with Southwest is for the way they board, but that's gone now. I would feel bad for the family of 4 or 5 getting B or C boarding and not being able to sit even close to each other. There are much better airlines out there, such has Jet Blue with very competitive pricing and sometimes even cheaper, and they have Direct TV on every seat back, and you can pick your own seats at booking. It's just too bad that a simple, stupid change like this is going to lose them a bunch of customers. I have flown with them over 100 roundtrips in the last 5 years and now another airlines is going to get that business.

They sort of didn't suck so bad but lately they really suck. I am taking my business and trying other carriers. Spirit is kind of bare bones but I fly that sometimes, and I dicsovered Frontier and use them whenever I can. It's not that hard to find other carriers if you venture out and try.

The thing that got me off Southwest was when they would not allow Board First to continue operating. Also now the thing where families with little children can't board first anymore - I don't think it's fair. I am a single business traveler, but it really wasn't so bad if the people with little kids got on first. Get them out of the way first. Just helps me decide where NOT to sit! Not anymore. Goodbye Southwest! Toodles!

For all of its problems, I would have to say I still get the best experience with SW. Usually on time. Book online. No penalties. Easier to book awards. I sense it may be getting worse, but for now it is my go to airline. Be sure to load DING! And get the cheapest flights that dont get advertised otherwise.

My issues are with customer service which I believe are the worst. Since they don't care about my business, then I will be taking it elsewhere.

SW sucks eggs. Their flight crews have god complexes and think they can bump people for any reason (pre flight cocktails, and now how people DRESS!). http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?g=1fa99fcf-7c33-4411-afb7-9ef4bee9809f&f=05&fg=rss

They are what they are. They fly to a very good amount of cities, and manage to keep their prices low. I don't mind the unreserved seating like other people. During this latest holiday season I did have an issue when I was put on our flight, but my wife and infant son were put on standby because she couldn't check in at the baggage check, but had to go to the gate to check in with an infant. My requests to talk with a manager weren't met. Things worked out when I spoke loud enough for those around us to notice, and a lady gave up her seat to my wife. That was a drawback of the unreserved seating situation, but my family and I have traveled Southwest a lot over the last 10 years with no other problems.

Plain and simple: Southwest Airlines suck. Its a bait and switch, cattle hauling bus. Beware of "direct flights" with these clowns. I recently flew from Sacramento, California to Dallas. My ticket plainly stated a one stop-change planes deal. It said nothing about a stop in Amarillo Texas. When i asked why Amarillo, the idiot behind the counter said that is what a "direct flight" is. Now being a commercial pilot myself, thats not what a direct flight is.
My return flight was a total disaster. Leaving Dallas we were 4 hours late due to weather (which i totally understand) but once again, my ticket stated a one stop deal- Phoenix then Sacramento. When i looked at the board it stated a stop in El Paso. El Paso? Thats not what's on my ticket! By the time we finally did roll into Phoenix it was 11pm at night and all departing flights were done for the day. I had to get a hotel and then take the first (and only) available flight at 6am. Now i totally understand weather delays/ cancellations...thats a safety thing. BUT the added stops and not telling passengers ahead of time is what infuriates me. Had i would have known about these little detours i would have never booked a flight on that airline. Why should going from a major city to another less that half a country away take 2 or even 3 stops? Why not tell people up front that that's what its going to take? My mistake was not taking another major carrier that was non stop. I could have done the same trip with American Airlines non-stop for 30 extra bucks ( and probably got a meal with it) AND got assigned seating to boot. Bottom line is Southwest Airlines is a bottom feeder. They bait and switch to make the general public THINK they are getting a good deal when in reality they would be better off looking somewhere else. My advise- ask before you travel on this cattle hauler exactly how many stops it will take (they will try and lie to you) and what options you will have in case that flight cancels. You may not get the answer you are expecting. If Southwest was a little more honest then they might not have the crowds of sheep lining up at the A B or C lines.

I try to fly SWA whenever possible. Find the crews to be friendlier and sometimes just plain funny. Makes up for the long security lines getting into the airport.

I FLEW ON THIS AIRLINE FROM FLORIDA TO MARRYLAND AND I INJOY THE FLIGHT VERY MUCH.

I worked for SouthWest Airlines for about 3 months. That was enough. The company's thinly vieled "positive attitude" barely hides a lot of ticked off employees. As far as flying on them there are so many negatives it's hard to know where to start. 1.) Lack of Technilogical expertise and NO email contact page on their website. In the day and age of the internet - this is absolutely unforgivable. They lost 3.5 stars on this lack of being up-to-date with their technology. There is no excuse for SWA not having an email, web contact form. Who writes paper letters and uses snailmail anymore? No One - except SWA. ugh! 2.) Also along with a serious lack of decent technology - Their reservation system is horrid. It might possibly be the worst reservation system that's ever been designed. (But judging from their lack of email contacts - understandable due to a lack of technology expertise.) Many of the cities they fly from - they don't even list all of the destination cities they serve. For example, I live in Denver - so if you go to try and book a flight from Denver to St. Louis - IMPOSSIBLE. Their interactive map shows them flying right over St. Louis from Denver. So you have to go through the painstakingly difficult procedure of manually booking a flight to Chicago first, then from Chicago manually booking another flight to ST. Louis and then do all the same for the return portion of your trip. Unbelievably dumb. And they price everything out in one way segments - so it looks cheap initially and then they F you in the A at the end. Why even tell the customer all that crap - if you don't fly direct to St. Louis - then book me on a flight automatically from Den to STL - save me the horrid details of where you do or don't go and give me a final price. 3.) Cattle Call boarding - hidieous. OH MY GOD - you can get to the airport 5 hours in advance - you still have just as little chance of getting a decent seat as the guy that walks up 2 minutes before boarding. This process sucks so bad it has created a giant sucking sound right out of Texas! 4.) Frequent Flyer program that is a slap in the face. Their awards expire quickly and you don't get much in return. 5.) The whole Love Field Wright Amendment deal. It used to be that Southwest told all their employees not to talk about the Wright Amendment because in reality - it let Southwest have an advantage at Love Field in Texas - No other airline cared to deal with the restrictions put on that air field. (Flying from Love field only let you flying to bordering states of Texas - no others). Now I see that SWA is trying to get the Wright Amendment repealed. hah! Guess they've finally realized how dumb it was. Oh sure - it let them get a foothold at that airport - but for the customer service employees it was miserable. Customer - "I want to fly from Chicago to Dallas", Rep - "I'm sorry mam - we don't fly to Texas. Customer - "WTF are you talking about? You're based in TEXAS for God's sake!" - Rep - "Sorry I can't help you" - Customer - "Screw you people" - Rep - " Well, maybe if you flew to Arkansas first - THEN you get take another flight from there to Texas" - Customer - (looking befuddled walks away to another airline counter). dumb policy. Finally, your airlines generally make 90% of their revenue from their top 10% of their customers. Customers who fly this often are undoubtably business customers - and not having first class for your top customers is dumb. Instead stick your top 10% of your customers next to some smelly guy in the back, next to the engine with all the noise. As a customer service rep - I remember these frequent flyers spending hours at my gate trying to jockey for the best seats on the plane (exit row aisles). What a waste of time and a poor experience for your customers to endure. To coin someone else's phrase - Southworst sums it up very well.

This airline has the worst customer service and is rightfully called the Greyhound of the sky. I would rather walk.

They have have always been on time for us.The crew usually practices stand up comedy, which helps relax a nervous flier like myself. Their prices are always the cheapest out of Baltimore.

The fares are great, and the flight attendants are friendly and even a bit fun-loving (as the attendants were donning their latex gloves for cleanup at the and of the flight, I quipped, "and now, off to surgery?" and the attendant replied sheepishly, "no, just pilot appreciation day" - hehe). But the boarding process is abysmal. I watched people push each other, shout, and nearly come to blows over the lineup procedure.

Pros: Excellent low fares, nice leather seats, freindly staff, several destinations Cons: Worst frequent flyer program - miles expire quickly (after 1 year I believe)! Miles really don't add up compared to other frequent flyer programs (I rank Alaska Airlines program the best). I use Southwest primarily for the $39 one-way fares (if choosing to go to other cities during vacations).

I used to hear about Southwest being zany and different, but they've been quiet in the media recently, as JetBlue has had the newest innovative presence. But I just flew Southwest and I enjoyed it. They went to leather seats to compete with JetBlue, and their flight attendants were my favorite yet. Young, spunky attendants who joke around with you. I hit on this on girl Jacqueline (sort of aggressively because I had been drinking), and she asked me if I was a member of the mile-high club. I said no, and she suggested I meet her in the back bathroom in 5 minutes. I said ok, expecting a joke but I went anyway, and there was a fat guy with his shirt off waiting for me. Anything for a laugh at my expense I guess.

Southwest is perfect in every regard. They only fly one type of plane -- Boeing 737s. I heard a horror story of one of the other airlines having a plane that none of the maintenance crew knew anything about or even had any maintenance documentation on. The cabins are clean and the seats are all leather. Compare to other airlines with cloth seats splotched with odd-looking stains. I also like the concept of being awarded for being an early bird. I know I can get an A Boarding Pass (It's even easier now that you can log online after midnight to get your boarding pass). With other stupid airlines, I book weeks in advance and still get stuck in a middle seat between 2 fat dudes with gas. Southwest has an impeccable safety record, yet don't torture you with bombastic 1-hour safety briefs like Untied Airlines. They've taken the ill-fated People's Express concept and made it work.

Off the charts if I could rate it that way. I love Southwest Airlines. They are a great company that have revolutionized the airline industry. Friendly, funny employees, affordable prices...a great product in general. They're doing something right...one of the very few airlines to turn a profit in the post 9/11 world.

Not a fan of this airline. I only fly them because they're cheap. Although the flight attendants are nice I just don't understand their cattle call seating arrangement. Want a decent seat? Better get to the airport 3 hours early. I always seem to get stuck with a lot of connections on this airline too.

The best. Read up on their start and how they developed their busines model! Interesting reading and a lesson for many of us in business. Great philosophy and management means quality from top to bottom. This is Southwest Airlines. Please quick messing with your colors thouhg -- keep your jets in the 70s and 80s colors --

Good news: Great fares within CA (lower than major carriers). Bad news: Terrible fares from CA (higher than major carriers) to anywhere east of Vegas. Good news: They turn planes around quickly, resulting in less delays. Bad news: The planes are often really messy and disgusting as a result. Standing in line for a half-hour to board sucks, as does needing to show up an hour early to get overhead bin space, as does its reputation as the airline of choice for shady characters (check out the A&E series Airline for details), but Southwest does come in handy sometimes.

Consistantly cheap, safe (never an accident in 30 years of service), friendly and on time...what more could you ask for?

No ticket change fees unlike other airlines, friendly employees, above-average legroom, frequent schedules, and good reliablity. No-frills, but great for short flights!

They are decent, not great. You definitely get what you pay for. I agree with others...I HATE the whole cattle call boarding procedure!

This airline is the living embodiment of the coy philosophy: Get In, Sit Down, Shut Up, Hold On. I remember a flight when an attendant said, Here are the instructions for using your oxygen mask. After you stop screaming... I like Southwest because the fares are not very high and the crews pride themselves on a relaxed professionalism with a friendly attitude. The seats are a little small if you are fat or seated next to a plump passenger; but the short-hauls I prefer on this airline do not make that a forbidding condition. Worth looking up whenever you shop for fares.