Southwest Buys Airtran

[PercyPug]

I just read on the Atlanta Journal Constitutional website (ajc.com) that SW bought AirTran!! I hope that means SW will be flying out of Atlanta's airport! YIPEE!!

[Niecyboo]

NEW YORK – Southwest Airlines said Monday it will buy AirTran for about $1.42 billion. The move will put Southwest in head-to-head competition with Delta Air Lines in Delta's home base of Atlanta.

Southwest's acquisition of AirTran is expected to close in the first half of next year. It requires both regulatory and shareholder approval. The airlines expect to fully blend their operations in 2012.

[Fangorn]

Here's the note I received from Southwest on this:

____________________________
As one of our most valued Customers, I wanted you to be among the first to know the exciting news that Southwest Airlines has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire AirTran Holdings, Inc., a parent company of AirTran Airways (AirTran). Although the closing of the deal depends on a number of approvals, we're all very excited about what it can mean for the Customers, Employees, Communities, and Shareholders of both organizations.
If approved, the acquisition will allow Southwest to offer low fares and exceptional Customer Service in more markets and to more loyal Customers like you.

More Access to More Destinations
Our new, broader national presence will benefit many markets as a result of increased competition stimulated by Southwest's low fares and well-known brand. This includes significant opportunities to and from Atlanta, the largest domestic market we do not serve. It expands our presence in key markets, like New York LaGuardia, Boston Logan, and Baltimore/Washington, as well as enables us to serve Washington D.C. via Ronald Reagan National Airport. Also, it presents the opportunity to provide access to key international leisure markets in the Caribbean and Mexico, and extend our service to many smaller domestic cities that we don't serve today.

What Changes Today?
There are no changes to the way you travel on Southwest today or in the near future. Until the transaction closes and we've received the required regulatory and AirTran Stockholder approvals, Southwest and AirTran will continue to operate as independent companies. After closing, Southwest plans, over time, to integrate AirTran into the Southwest Airlines brand to develop a consistent Customer Experience.
This, of course, includes combining the carriers' frequent flyer programs. Meanwhile, credits and awards in both programs remain valid, and you will continue to earn credits by flying or using our partners just as you do today.
There's a lot of work to be done and decisions to be made. We'll keep you informed of developments. In the meantime, we invite you to visit a special website we've created – www.lowfaresfarther.com – where you'll find regularly updated news and information about the deal.
Thanks for your continued loyalty and support of Southwest Airlines!

Sincerely,
Kevin Krone
Vice President Marketing, Sales, and Distribution
______________________________________

Steve

[MNNHFLTX]

Interesting. I have a nephew-in-law that is a pilot for Airtran. I know they were in contract negotiations, so I wonder how this transaction will affect that.

[Ed]

This is HUGE news for Orlando. Southwest is already the largest carrier at MCO, having surpassed Delta a few years ago. Add in AirTran and they are virtually unbeatable.

Lots of questions are already coming up about policy changes. Most are answered at the special website (http://www.lowfaresfarther.com/what-it-means/customers/) set up by SWA.

In a nutshell, a few highlights ~

SWA's no-fees-for-first-two-checked-bags policy will continue
"Open Seating" will be the norm; AirTran's Business Class and Coach will convert to the SWA model, and AirTran's aircraft will be converted to the SWA seating arrangement
No change fees; AirTran presently charges $75 for changes after booking
Frequent Flyer programs will merge into SWA's Rapid Rewards program


Lots more info to come, I'm sure.

:plane:

[BigRedDad]

Hopefully SWA corrects the issues with AirTran changing flight times. I am sure there will be a team of number crunchers with access to massive servers to calculate the most viable routes and have standard schedules for their largest routes. In my area, SWA flies to Orlando at the same times every day. It is a set route and nothing ever changes (except standard delays that can happen any where). They never cancel a flight due to low booking or anything else.

The quicker this deal closes the better it is for AirTran. Once they are assimilated into SWA, it will be that much better.

[Carolanne]

Southwest's acquisition of AirTran is expected to close in the first half of next year. It requires both regulatory and shareholder approval. The airlines expect to fully blend their operations in 2012. So, my November AirTran flight should be ok, right?

[Ed]

So, my November AirTran flight should be ok, right?

Absolutely. :thumbsup:

[Tink1]

The quicker this deal closes the better it is for AirTran. Once they are assimilated into SWA, it will be that much better.


Maybe, maybe not.

In markets where Airtran and SW compete, we may see a raise in prices since the other low cost carrier will no longer exist. (PHL is a market that comes to mind since I am in PA.)

Competition is not always a bad thing.

Nanc

[Hammer]

Maybe, maybe not.

In markets where Airtran and SW compete, we may see a raise in prices since the other low cost carrier will no longer exist. (PHL is a market that comes to mind since I am in PA.)

Competition is not always a bad thing.

Nanc

But Nanc, Air tran has been decreasing its flights out of PHL for a while now. They did away with the 1 nonstop to TPA ages ago and I think they only have 1 or 2 non-stops to MCO now. Price wise, they have been about the same (except you pay for bags on Air Tran).

[Stu29573]

I'm a little concerned. We fly out of Dallas and Southwest is always quite a bit higher than Airtran. Actually, we would prefer to fly Southwest due to airport issues (Love Field vs DFW) but we can never get a good deal. I'm "wait and see" on this one...

[Tink1]

But Nanc, Air tran has been decreasing its flights out of PHL for a while now. They did away with the 1 nonstop to TPA ages ago and I think they only have 1 or 2 non-stops to MCO now. Price wise, they have been about the same (except you pay for bags on Air Tran).

I usually fly AirTran from ABE, could not get decent rates from there in Nov so am going to PHL. Air Tran was much cheaper than SW even taking the bag fee into effect (but I will use rewards to go business class so that point will be moot)

While in a perfect world I see this as a good thing, and hope SW comes to ABE, I just have reservations about it.

Markets serviced by NW and Delta saw a marked increase in pricing due to their merger, and I will be interested in seeing what effect the United/Continental merger will have on some of their markets. Historically, mergers are not usually the best thing for the consumer.

I am just one who hates to see competition go away. If there is no competition, what is the driving force?


(edited to add: I am so used to connecting flights from AVP (Scranton) that direct flights do not factor into my equations no matter what airport.)


Nanc

[TiggeRia]

I usually fly AirTran from ABE, could not get decent rates from there in Nov so am going to PHL. Air Tran was much cheaper than SW even taking the bag fee into effect (but I will use rewards to go business class so that point will be moot)

While in a perfect world I see this as a good thing, and hope SW comes to ABE, I just have reservations about it.

Markets serviced by NW and Delta saw a marked increase in pricing due to their merger, and I will be interested in seeing what effect the United/Continental merger will have on some of their markets. Historically, mergers are not usually the best thing for the consumer.

I am just one who hates to see competition go away. If there is no competition, what is the driving force?


(edited to add: I am so used to connecting flights from AVP (Scranton) that direct flights do not factor into my equations no matter what airport.)


Nanc,
I, too, try to fly AirTran out of ABE. For me their prices have been unbeatable-most recently $54 each way to MCO. I can usualy get cheaper flights out of there than Newark (where neither carrier flies) or Philadelphia. I hope that SW will continue to fly out of ABE--there is certainly the market for it and all the flights I have been on have been packed. I'm hoping all in all that this is a good thing, though.
~Ria

[BigRedDad]

I don't think SW will eliminate AirTran routes at all. I think they will consolidate and create more efficient schedules. What I mean by this is if SWA and AirTran have flights from Airport A to Airport B, they will make a consolidated route. Instead of having 5 SWA flights and 6 AirTran flights, they have say 7 total flights for the route.

Competition is a good thing. However, SWA is not in business to charge high air fare. If they do this, especially after taking over, they are going to face major customer backlash.

[Mousemates]

Should be a good thing for those of us flying to Orlando out of East Tennessee...we will still have Allegiant to provide low-cost competition and will gain the added competitive advantage of a Southwest (taking over the Air Tran routes) to keep Delta and United in check. My only concern is if Southwest will keep the direct flight open or if it will require us to layover in Atlanta for a connecting flight.

[seanyred]

Living near Chicago I always had the option of using both airlines but would often use AirTran because of their fares being cheaper. I just hope I don't see a huge increase in cost to fly.

On a side note: Does Southwest Already work with Magical Express? Meaning do they have the ability to check in at the resort when departing?

[Tink1]

I don't think SW will eliminate AirTran routes at all. I think they will consolidate and create more efficient schedules. What I mean by this is if SWA and AirTran have flights from Airport A to Airport B, they will make a consolidated route. Instead of having 5 SWA flights and 6 AirTran flights, they have say 7 total flights for the route.

Competition is a good thing. However, SWA is not in business to charge high air fare. If they do this, especially after taking over, they are going to face major customer backlash.

I would highly doubt SW will keep all the smaller airports, I hope I am wrong though.

My most interesting notes on the conference call this morning:

Laura Wright - Airtran serves 37 cities that SW "could" provide service to. (this is the one that makes me worry about the small airports within easy distance of the larger ones)

Gary Kelly - SW will not serve DFW after this acquisition.

Nanc

[Tink1]

Nanc,
I, too, try to fly AirTran out of ABE. For me their prices have been unbeatable-most recently $54 each way to MCO. I can usualy get cheaper flights out of there than Newark (where neither carrier flies) or Philadelphia. I hope that SW will continue to fly out of ABE--there is certainly the market for it and all the flights I have been on have been packed. I'm hoping all in all that this is a good thing, though.
~Ria

me too! In ABE Airtran has so few flights and they contract out their ground crew. That does not fit into the SW model at all.

November was a freak thing rate wise, since normally I get fantastic air from there. They were just 2 high priced days I have to fly and had no leeway. It was something like $300 round trip. I am now driving further down "the pike" and flying out of PHL on Airtran.

I do not mind the drive down, it is that drive back that kills me. The NE extension is boring and I take it to the end then hop on 81N to get home.

Would love to see a low cost carrier up in this corner of the state!

nanc

[faline]

On a side note: Does Southwest Already work with Magical Express? Meaning do they have the ability to check in at the resort when departing?

At most resorts, yes.

[PinKy]

Yikes - this is not great news for us. The last time we flew SW we had to stand in line with an infant for 45 minutes just to get on the plane due to their "open seating" policy - we never flew them again. Now - we fly Air Tran regularly b/c they are very child/family friendly and we have 3 children. Does anyone know if they still have that 'first come first served' policy for seating? It really was chaos when we did that and I just don't think we could manage it with 3 + stroller/car seats, etc. We would be so sad to give up the Air Tran schedule and extra leg room - also big hits with our family.

[ryca1dreams]

I would highly doubt SW will keep all the smaller airports, I hope I am wrong though.

My most interesting notes on the conference call this morning:

Laura Wright - Airtran serves 37 cities that SW "could" provide service to. (this is the one that makes me worry about the small airports within easy distance of the larger ones)

Gary Kelly - SW will not serve DFW after this acquisition.

Nanc

That's an interesting statement by Mr. Kelly. Do you think they would pull the existing Airtran flights from DFW just for the sake of Love. It lessens the competition at DFW and SWA could lose a great source of potential customers (us on the west side). I personally don't see any move short of completely abondoning Love as damaging that airport. Besides, I wouldn't mind flying "SWA" direct to MCO or anywhere else far away...if the price is competitive.

[Tink1]

That's an interesting statement by Mr. Kelly. Do you think they would pull the existing Airtran flights from DFW just for the sake of Love. It lessens the competition at DFW and SWA could lose a great source of potential customers (us on the west side). I personally don't see any move short of completely abondoning Love as damaging that airport. Besides, I wouldn't mind flying "SWA" direct to MCO or anywhere else far away...if the price is competitive.

It has to do with the Wright Amendment. They cannot fly from both. They will stay at Love Field.

nanc

[Stu29573]

That's an interesting statement by Mr. Kelly. Do you think they would pull the existing Airtran flights from DFW just for the sake of Love. It lessens the competition at DFW and SWA could lose a great source of potential customers (us on the west side). I personally don't see any move short of completely abondoning Love as damaging that airport. Besides, I wouldn't mind flying "SWA" direct to MCO or anywhere else far away...if the price is competitive.

SWA has a long and sometimes passionate history with Love and I can't see them ever turning their backs on it, especially when you consider the legal issues they would have to tangle with the Write Ammendment. However, you have a point about it being a good deal further for western areas of the metroplex. For us, on the east side, Love is much more convenient (not to mention smaller and easier to navigate) but if I lived in Fort Worth I might be a bit miffed at having to drive an additional 30 minutes (if traffic is good).

My main concern is ticket price. Airtran has always been quite a bit lower than SWA. Still, I like SWA and have flown them in the past, so I will give them the benefit of the doubt...

[ryca1dreams]

And not to belabor the point, but Wright only restricts long distance travel from Love - it does not preclude an airline from operating from both it and DFW. Delta and Continental do (and I think AA may have a few flights).

I understand SWA's relationship with the city of Dallas, but my point was if the logistics from Airtran are already in place at DFW, I don't understand why the new SWA would just pull out. I think they could hold their own against AA. Then again, I'm not a corporate manager - it may make sense.

Moving on...

[AZ Disney]

This comes right out of their FAQ's on the acquisiton.

Q: Will you close any AirTran destinations/facilities? Where will the corporate headquarters be located?
A: We are interested in serving the vast majority, if not all, of AirTran’s markets. The only AirTran airport we know we will not continue to operate at is Dallas Ft. Worth International (DFW). In 2006, we entered into a binding agreement with five parties (including DFW), which restricts us or any wholly owned subsidiary from operating at DFW. That restriction becomes effective at closing. AirTran can continue to serve DFW until the agreement closes.

[Tink1]

And not to belabor the point, but Wright only restricts long distance travel from Love - it does not preclude an airline from operating from both it and DFW. Delta and Continental do (and I think AA may have a few flights).

.

Moving on...

It has something to do with the change in the 2006 provisions. I guess the Wright amendment has been modified twice. Something to do with them flying from any airport within an 80-mile radius.

I am sure the info online somewhere, but since it is not my market I am not truly up to date. This was all just stuff covered in a class I had taken.

But they are giving up DFW because they have to, not that they want to.

nanc

[Hammer]

Reading AZ Disney's post, I just thought of another airport that is currently serviced by AirTran which I have to wonder if Southwest will add, and that is ACY (Atlantic City). While that would be great for me as I could use it as an option (I do not like Spirit Airlines), I wonder if they'll want that many airports in the Philly area. We'll just have to wait and see.

[Tink1]

Reading AZ Disney's post, I just thought of another airport that is currently serviced by AirTran which I have to wonder if Southwest will add, and that is ACY (Atlantic City). While that would be great for me as I could use it as an option (I do not like Spirit Airlines), I wonder if they'll want that many airports in the Philly area. We'll just have to wait and see.

Yeah, ACY, ABE, HPN (White Plains) and MDT (Harrisburg) are all going to be interesting to watch. They are all located close to major markets.

Will be interesting to see what they do in the Washington DC Airports and Baltimore.
Nanc

[faline]

Yikes - this is not great news for us. The last time we flew SW we had to stand in line with an infant for 45 minutes just to get on the plane due to their "open seating" policy - we never flew them again. Now - we fly Air Tran regularly b/c they are very child/family friendly and we have 3 children. Does anyone know if they still have that 'first come first served' policy for seating? It really was chaos when we did that and I just don't think we could manage it with 3 + stroller/car seats, etc. We would be so sad to give up the Air Tran schedule and extra leg room - also big hits with our family.

This is nothing against you or your family and it would have been a great advantage had we had young children. However, we did not so one of my biggest gripes (and I think many others) was that we had to line up really early and then folks with young children would come strolling in at the last minute and got priority seating. If you flew Southwest quite some time ago, I'm not sure why you would've needed to stand in line for that long with an infant as families with young children were always seated first.

Now, Southwest, assigns a number when you check in (or you can guarantee a lower number with the purchase of Early Bird seating) - no need to stand in line for long periods of time. Those with A boarding passes, are seated first (in order of their numbers). The A passes are followed by those with young children. Next us are those with B passes and last are those with C passes. Families with young children still get a bit of a priority. Those families can go on line 24 hours in advance and, hopefully, get an A pass but, even if they don't, they still get to board after the A group (even if their passes have a C on them).

[AZ Disney]

Just thought I would share a funny story while travelling from San Diego to Phoenix via SWA a few months back. I was flying with an actual ticket this particular trip (I fly Non-Rev most of the time since my husband is a pilot and I’m always one of the last to board or bumped). Our Boarding Passes were something like A35-A37 – we walked up to the number queues and like most try to look at the persons number in or around where we should be standing. I couldn’t read it this particular one, so I nicely asked the lady…”which number are you?” She replies with “None of your business.” My husband was right there in uniform as he would be flying in the cockpit and tried to defuse her and my mouth was on the ground in shock. He introduced himself and tried to explain the boarding procedure – she would not listen one bit and continued to cause somewhat of a scene to anyone within a couple feet of us. He gave up trying to help her understand the procedure. All was quiet for a minute or two and another customer walks up and asks her nearly the same question - only this time we could see her boarding pass and it was a C something….nearly the same conversation ensued but this other customer was not so nice and told her “get with the program you’re a C.” She quietly got out of line and must have asked someone else as we never heard from her again until she was one of the last to board

SWA’s boarding procedure is really simple – if you’re new to SWA, just take a moment or two and learn how it works – most SWA employees will be happy to help you with any questions you may have.

[Goofster]

I'm very disappointed with this news. Southwest out of Detroit has terrible flight times and their prices are normally higher than AirTran's. Plus, Southwest's "open seating policy" is an absolute joke and is the primary reason I will never fly with them again. When traveling to Disney, AirTran has always had the best flight times and prices, with Northwest (now Delta) being a close second. Looks like we'll be flying Delta from now on.

[faline]

I was just pricing out some flights today. What I immediately noticed about Southwest is, whereas most of their flights from Manchester to Orlando used to be non-stop, there are now qutie a few flights that require a change in plane. I'm seeing far fewer discounts on Southwest as well. Given that I'm not a big fan of the open seating plan (though the changes they've made in the last few years have made this process better), the only things that made me choose this carrier were low costs and direct flights. For the time frame I recently looked at, Jet Blue was a better option. In fact, on our last trip, we flew Jet Blue because it did offer a better price than Southwest.

[BigRedDad]

Southwest's "open seating policy" is an absolute joke and is the primary reason I will never fly with them again.

What's wrong with the open seating policy?

Personally, I think it is a lack of understanding that makes people not like it. AirTran charges for assigned seating if you choose your seats. They charge more for the bulkhead and exit row seats. Southwest gives you the option of purchasing Business Select to be the first ones on the plane.

[PinKy]

This is nothing against you or your family and it would have been a great advantage had we had young children. However, we did not so one of my biggest gripes (and I think many others) was that we had to line up really early and then folks with young children would come strolling in at the last minute and got priority seating. If you flew Southwest quite some time ago, I'm not sure why you would've needed to stand in line for that long with an infant as families with young children were always seated first.

Now, Southwest, assigns a number when you check in (or you can guarantee a lower number with the purchase of Early Bird seating) - no need to stand in line for long periods of time. Those with A boarding passes, are seated first (in order of their numbers). The A passes are followed by those with young children. Next us are those with B passes and last are those with C passes. Families with young children still get a bit of a priority. Those families can go on line 24 hours in advance and, hopefully, get an A pass but, even if they don't, they still get to board after the A group (even if their passes have a C on them).

Maybe it was an airport policy - I'm not sure - we were flying out of Midway Airport in Chicago. I do remember asking about boarding though to see if we could get the car seat installed etc and they said they didn't make any special exceptions for that sort of thing so we didn't "stroll" anywhere - we stood in line with everyone else. Also - if you've ever traveled with children - its not really a leisurely activity - there's not much "strolling" or "meandering" involved - its a huge effort to even arrive in the first place and so it is kind (to the families and other passengers involved) when people who need to check strollers, install carseats etc can do that before the plane is completely full and it becomes more difficult to move about while also managing to control children until you can get them seated. In any case - I didn't mean for this to be a child-free vs. pro-child discussion (on a Disney site??) - I was only trying to figure out if they still have the open seating arrangements where you stand in line before boarding because while that works wonderfully in some situations, I don't know that it would work as well in others.

[Hammer]

What's wrong with the open seating policy?

Personally, I think it is a lack of understanding that makes people not like it. AirTran charges for assigned seating if you choose your seats. They charge more for the bulkhead and exit row seats. Southwest gives you the option of purchasing Business Select to be the first ones on the plane.

My sister does not like Southwest in part due to the lack of actual assigned seating and I assure you she understands how the policy works. She travels extensively for her job, mainly using Continental (Newark). She likes airlines that have different seating classes, as because she is an Elite One Pass member, she flies quite often in first class. She does not like the "kitschy" things the flight attendant do on Southwest. She wants flight attends to be pleasant, professional and get her what she wants in a timely manner and that's it. The rare times she had flown SW she has not enjoyed it.

[Ian]

What's wrong with the open seating policy?

Personally, I think it is a lack of understanding that makes people not like it. AirTran charges for assigned seating if you choose your seats. They charge more for the bulkhead and exit row seats. Southwest gives you the option of purchasing Business Select to be the first ones on the plane.ITA. I fly all the time and I find SW's seating to be by far the smoothest and easiest process there is.

And now for an extra $10 you can basically guarantee you're one of the first on the plane. No worries about getting an aisle seat or getting stuck in the middle ... as long as you're on the ball you're guaranteed an aisle (or a window if you prefer) wherever you want to be in the plane. Not to mention a place for your luggage in the overhead.

I do get the gripe from frequent fliers, though. If I flew enough to get top tier status I'd bypass Southwest and go with USAir or someone that has a first class cabin. Although I will say that if you can't hit the elite level in most frequent flier programs these days (i.e. Chairman, etc.) they're not really worth it.

[2MuchWDFun]

Our family loves Southwest--have used them for years. On every flight we have ever flown with them they have allowed people with young children or those that need assistance (walkers, wheelchairs, etc) to board get priority boarding--they used to be first. Now it is after the "A" group has boarded.

We fly out of Pittsburgh, Baltimore, or Dulles and only one time found the flights on Southwest to be more expensive. We average two flights a year.

If I want to have priority boarding I can either pay the $10 to get an "A" boarding pass or check in 24 hours ahead and receive an "A" or high numbered "B".
It is a smooth check-in process--Southwest is consistently on time--and they don't charge extra for luggage. I really appreciate not having to worry about the extra charges on top of the cost of the flight. This is especially true for our next trip to WDW. We are going over Christmas week and will be bringing clothes to cover all weather conditions (it was really cold at night last year and we were somewhat unprepared) plus some small gifts, stockings, and a few Christmas decorations for the room. We'll be using 4 or 5 suitcases for the 3 of us. That would be $105 (or more)each way on other airlines for just the luggage. Not charging extra for bags also prevents people from carrying on overstuffed bags-slowing down the boarding process while everyone tries to cram their bags into the overhead or having to get them checked just before takeoff because they don't fit or their isn't any more room (even though they had assigned seats).

Oh, and it is easy to change flights without additional charges. Plus, if the price goes down I receive a credit for the difference to use on a future flight.

[Hammer]

On every flight we have ever flown with them they have allowed people with young children or those that need assistance (walkers, wheelchairs, etc) to board get priority boarding--they used to be first. Now it is after the "A" group has boarded.


Every Southwest flight I've been on the order of boarding is as follows


Those passengers holding a blue (or maybe it is yellow?) boarding card who need assistance boarding the plane (walkers and wheelchairs) as well as unaccompanied children 11 and under.
A1-15 (Business Select)
the rest of A
Those traveling with children 4 and under who did not obtain an A boarding pass
B
C


From Southwest's website-

Prior to general boarding, unaccompanied children between the ages of five and 11 and Customers with disabilities who have a specific seating need to accommodate their disability and/or need assistance in boarding the aircraft may preboard. Customers who choose to preboard cannot sit in an emergency exit seat.

If Southwest did not do this and expected a person who needed assistance to try and find seating after general boarding started, it would be a logistical nightmare. Not to mention, it would give my sister another reason to dislike Southwest if my Mom had to do that traveling alone this Thanksgiving, as she needs to use a wheelchair to get down the gateway.

[KEYONNAH]

I usually fly Air Tran out of Bloomington Il. Will they keep that stop or will I have to fly another airline?

[Mitzie]

I hope some of the smaller airports stay on the SW schedule. In northern Indiana, only Allegiant out of South Bend flies non-stop to Orlando and right now that is Sanford. And that is only two days out of the week most of the time. All the other carriers, Delta and the like...stop somewhere and the rates normally are twice what one can pick-up on Airtran or SW. For many of us, our airport of choice is Grand Rapids MI. It is only about 2 hours away. It is small and easy to get to, and Airtran and Allegiant both fly into MCO from there. Will have to wait and see.

[Mammabruski]

Maybe it was an airport policy - I'm not sure - we were flying out of Midway Airport in Chicago. I do remember asking about boarding though to see if we could get the car seat installed etc and they said they didn't make any special exceptions for that sort of thing so we didn't "stroll" anywhere - we stood in line with everyone else. Also - if you've ever traveled with children - it’s not really a leisurely activity - there's not much "strolling" or "meandering" involved - it’s a huge effort to even arrive in the first place and so it is kind (to the families and other passengers involved) when people who need to check strollers, install car seats etc can do that before the plane is completely full and it becomes more difficult to move about while also managing to control children until you can get them seated. In any case - I didn't mean for this to be a child-free vs. pro-child discussion (on a Disney site??) - I was only trying to figure out if they still have the open seating arrangements where you stand in line before boarding because while that works wonderfully in some situations, I don't know that it would work as well in others.

I feel your pain about flying with kids. But as a current parent, I LOVE SWA! My girls are 3 and one, and flying is an ordeal! I just want to say some things that I hope may change your mind about flying southwest. Ok, so here's the deal. I don't think anyone mentioned this: When travelling with children 4 and under, you can always board between A and B seating without lining up. I just hover near the entrance of the gate (you know chasing one child here, changing one child there) and then presto, between A and B, I board. I even sometimes do this when I have A seating, so that I don't have to stand in line, although if you have an efficient gate attendant you should never be in the A (or B or C) line for more than 5 minutes. I'm really surprised the gate attendant didn't mention this, and they didn't announce that you could do this. Strange.


It is true that you don't get to go into the plane to put your car seat in place before everyone else, but the last time I flew Delta and United they refused to let us get on the plane before everyone else, anyways. So, most of the airlines have done away with courtesies for families. On occasion you might find a gate attendant from the other airlines that will let you on early, but I think that "perk" (yeah right, I'm sure people wouldn't trade child free travel for getting on a plane 5 minutes early) is done and gone.

The fact that SWA doesn't charge for bags is great for families, too! I bring way too much stuff when it comes to my kids. It would be such a bummer to have to pay for all those bags.


So there you go. I hope you give SWA another chance, because in my opinion as a parent, they are #1!:number1:

[O'MalleytheAlleyCat]

Yay! Bring SWA to Moline, IL. We usually fly AirTran or Delta out of Moline and would love to see Southwest somewhere along I-80 between Chicago and Omaha!

[CaptainSad]

With my recent flight to Las Vegas, I don't think I will ever fly with SWA again. Yes I know the policy A<B<C and all. I don't think you save as much for the hassle. Me and the wife got C boarding passes for our flight to and from Las Vegas. We could not even sit together. No one would move to a different seat. I am a little larger then most folks. I said if you want me to sit in that tiny little seat go for it. I will make it unconvertible the whole flight. Boy did I ever. Getting up and down 5 times ticked the girl in the aisle seat asked if she could switch. Wasn't that nice? No I think I will stick with Jet Blue from now on. At least I can pick a seat and sit with my wife on a 5 hour trip.

[PinKy]

I feel your pain about flying with kids. But as a current parent, I LOVE SWA! My girls are 3 and one, and flying is an ordeal! I just want to say some things that I hope may change your mind about flying southwest. Ok, so here's the deal. I don't think anyone mentioned this: When travelling with children 4 and under, you can always board between A and B seating without lining up. I just hover near the entrance of the gate (you know chasing one child here, changing one child there) and then presto, between A and B, I board. I even sometimes do this when I have A seating, so that I don't have to stand in line, although if you have an efficient gate attendant you should never be in the A (or B or C) line for more than 5 minutes. I'm really surprised the gate attendant didn't mention this, and they didn't announce that you could do this. Strange.


It is true that you don't get to go into the plane to put your car seat in place before everyone else, but the last time I flew Delta and United they refused to let us get on the plane before everyone else, anyways. So, most of the airlines have done away with courtesies for families. On occasion you might find a gate attendant from the other airlines that will let you on early, but I think that "perk" (yeah right, I'm sure people wouldn't trade child free travel for getting on a plane 5 minutes early) is done and gone.

The fact that SWA doesn't charge for bags is great for families, too! I bring way too much stuff when it comes to my kids. It would be such a bummer to have to pay for all those bags.


So there you go. I hope you give SWA another chance, because in my opinion as a parent, they are #1!:number1:

This was super-helpful and so informative! Thank you so much!!:thumbsup:

[CaptainSad]

Another thing I am ticked off about SWA is that I noticed that when I got on the plane some people that were A & B were saving seats for people that were C's that were behind me in the aisle. I asked the attendent about it and she told me that she could not do anything about it. That is when I said you lost me as a customer. I am waiting for a response from SWA, but I don't think one will come.

[Brian]

Yeah, ACY, ABE, HPN (White Plains) and MDT (Harrisburg) are all going to be interesting to watch. They are all located close to major markets.

I'm really hoping that Southwest doesn't abandon MDT after the merger. The direct AirTran flight from there to Orlando is one of the best things to come to MDT in a long time. All of the other airlines at MDT are more expensive or don't offer direct flights.

[LandFan]

Nanc,
I, too, try to fly AirTran out of ABE. For me their prices have been unbeatable-most recently $54 each way to MCO. I can usualy get cheaper flights out of there than Newark (where neither carrier flies) or Philadelphia. I hope that SW will continue to fly out of ABE--there is certainly the market for it and all the flights I have been on have been packed. I'm hoping all in all that this is a good thing, though.
~Ria

I fly out of ABE too (when the prices are right). I really hope they bring SW to ABE!! I have been driving to philly the last handful of years because the SW prices out of Philly have been SO much cheaper and they have a more flexible flight schedule.

[Goofster]

What's wrong with the open seating policy?

Personally, I think it is a lack of understanding that makes people not like it. AirTran charges for assigned seating if you choose your seats. They charge more for the bulkhead and exit row seats. Southwest gives you the option of purchasing Business Select to be the first ones on the plane.

No, I understand it quite well, which is why I avoid that airline at all costs...even if it means paying more (which has yet to be the case).

I fly Delta for business and I can choose my seats ahead of time for no charge -- the same applies when I take the family to Disney. I enjoy having an assigned seat at check in and find the boarding process considerably easier. It doesn't matter when we board the plane as we have our seats preassigned. No cattle calls...no rush for the door. SW is insanity. I'm sorry, but it is!

Indeed, the few times I flew on SW, the open seating policy caused our departing and return flights to be delayed because of the difficulty in finding open seats in a packed plane with some parties having to split up. It was awful.

[Goofster]

ITA. I fly all the time and I find SW's seating to be by far the smoothest and easiest process there is.

And now for an extra $10 you can basically guarantee you're one of the first on the plane. No worries about getting an aisle seat or getting stuck in the middle ... as long as you're on the ball you're guaranteed an aisle (or a window if you prefer) wherever you want to be in the plane. Not to mention a place for your luggage in the overhead.



Delta lets you pick your seats at the time of booking for free. And I think AirTran, if you want to book before checking in, charges $10 for a seat assignment. All of those options seem like a better deal, IMHO, then paying $10 for the chance to be at the head of the cattle call. What happens if 50-60% of the plane pays the extra $10?

[Hammer]

Delta lets you pick your seats at the time of booking for free. And I think AirTran, if you want to book before checking in, charges $10 for a seat assignment. All of those options seem like a better deal, IMHO, then paying $10 for the chance to be at the head of the cattle call. What happens if 50-60% of the plane pays the extra $10?

Actually, Delta lets you pick certain seats for free. If you notice, the first 10 rows of aisle and window seats in Economy are reserved for Medallion members, which make them unavailable for the regular flier to choose. As someone who has used early bird check in with Southwest, I have been one of the first 30 people on the plane and have always gotten an aisle seat in the first 10 rows, which is my seating preference.