It would be inappropriate to kick off this series (“We love…”) with anything other than Southwest Airlines. Alli and I hold a deep, perhaps excessive, love of Southwest Airlines. But really, what’s not to love?
We both fly often. A few years ago we began recognizing that our flight experiences with Southwest were markedly different, in a good way, than our flights with other airlines. The whole process, from purchase to deplaning, was smoother–and even enjoyable. Our lauding should not come as a surprise. There is a reason SWA has posted a profit for 36 consecutive years (in a deeply struggling industry) and has hosted more customers than any other US airline since 2006. A recent poll (Oct 16, 2009) by Consumer Traveler echoed our feelings:
Here are a few reasons why Southwest has become like family:
- Flight attendants with personality. They are often funny, and they don’t take themselves too seriously. Here’s an example from a recent flight. “And for you, sir, hot pancakes and bacon for your in-flight breakfast meal.” – flight attendant, while handing me a bag of peanuts.
- They perform miracles. About a month ago, while traveling from Denver to the Dominican Republic (with a one-day stopover in Philadelphia), I mistakenly forgot my passport in Denver. To make a very long-story short, the Southwest crew agreed to voluntarily carry and deliver my passport to me. No other airline was willing. There was no reason for them to oblige, but they did. If they hadn’t, I would have been forced to skip the trip I was leading to the DR. Above-and-beyond.
- No seating chart. This speeds up the boarding process significantly. No looking at boarding passes while finding seats. No lag while first class passengers board. No inefficiencies. Love it.
- No bag fees. Thank you, SWA, for not nickle-and-diming me. This has many positive repercussions. For instance, passengers don’t try and carry-on six bags, resulting in the overhead bins filling up to capacity by the time the first wave of passengers has boarded.
- Cheap fares. It’s uncommon to find better fares. When you add in all the fees other airlines charge, it’s extremely rare to find better fares.
- They provide lifetime free flights to customers who write blog posts about why they love Southwest.*
*This has not yet been verified, but we’re hopeful.
Couldn’t agree with you guys more on this. Reminds me of the last SW flight we were on when the pilot was doing his announcements with a fake Scottish brogue…keep us posted on the free tickets for life.
“…a few reasons why Southwest has become like family.”
I’m trying to decide if this is a tremendous compliment for SWA or a subtle put-down for your family…
Here’s why I love Southwest http://tinyurl.com/ygh8tgy Good luck on the free flights!
I could add to your list 10 fold. The experience with Southwest is far better than any domestic airline I’ve been on.
On one instance, the flight attendants decided to play a practical joke (too long of a story to tell) on me and they quietly informed each passenger about the joke. Not too long after take off, passengers kept staring at me or walking by me. Eventually I figured out what the joke was and the whole plane began laughing/clapping. Glad everyone on the flight had a few laughs at my expense. Job well done SWA!