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| - As someone who has had working experience in the airline industry on the scheduling and pricing end, I feel I can't gripe about the usual boohoos everyone else has about the airline industry. To clear up a few things to express my point:
-Long lines: this is a part of going to the airport. Get over it or deal with the several-times-longer method of surface transit
-Delays: this is another part of the airport experience. So what if it's sunny and gorgeous outside. Your flight began in Atlanta, where there are thunderstorms and tornadoes.
-Cranky people: air travel may not be as easy as you think. In the year 2009, the questions people still ask surprise me. *Fun Fact: Did you know an E-ticket is exactly that? An ELECTRONIC ticket. Yeah, you can book travel and go to the airport with nothing but your government-issued ID and you'll get a boarding pass. You REALLY don't need anything else. Little kinks in the grand system and little things happening in people's lives can make them a bit cranky
-Uncomfortable seats: airplanes are metal tubes run by people who want to cram as many people in as possible in order to make a profit. This is a capitalist society and that's just part of it. Lower-quality seats are cheaper to purchase than plush velvet.
That and more make up the curse of air travel. Now, I will focus specifically on Southwest. They are a "closet hub-and-spoke" airline, as in they consider themselves point-to-point. I will admit that they do offer a fair selection of some point-to-point routes. However like all airlines they have hubs and focus cities, Phoenix being one of their hubs. This means that it is likely that if you live here, or visit here frequently, you will use it for a domestic flight. They are decent for Vegas or Southern California cities, but aren't a great option for many large cities east of Arizona, especially those with two or more commercial airports, as they typically service the most inconvenient ones for vacations, such as BWI, Dallas Love, Chicago Midway or MacArthur Islip on Long Island.
Their flight attendants remind me of preschool teachers and it seems they get end-of-the-year bonuses for acting like clowns. They're nice and friendly, but a bit overly perky and bubbly. The unassigned seating is a fiasco and this airline more than any other American carrier seems to be the de facto family carrier. I haven't been on any other carrier that attracts as many children, and I've been on a long list from American to Continental, from Cathay Pacific to Thai, from Asiana to AirFrance. Southwest does offer competitive rates, but you will get what you pay for, including a flying day care and mystery seat. The whole A,B,C boarding process is ridiculous, as you really have no say in where you sit. For a weekend trip to Vegas or Southern California, from Phoenix, your options are US Airways, Southwest or United Express (LAX only) and in my opinion, unless Southwest offered an unbeatable deal, I would pay a little more to take either of the other two.
I could prattle on about specific experiences, though those could happen on any airline. In short, the structure and policies of Southwest are its weakest points. I will say that it isn't the worst airline I've ever been on (Aeroflot is the absolute worst and most likely will always be the absolute worst) but I would definitely look at other options, even choosing a layover on a different carrier though Southwest might offer a non-stop option. As I said before, I would fly it again, but only if the difference in fare between it and its competition was significantly lower.
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