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“Guest Service Sucks”
Review of Southwest Airlines


Reviewed 27 July 2017 via mobile

I have flown with Southwest a couple of times in the past with great results. This time however not so great. I booked 3 tickets for myself and 2 family members to fly out for a wedding. It clearly shows my credit card used to all tickets. 1 of the parties was unable to go so I cancelled her round trip ticket and they gave me a voucher at the gate which was good for 1 year towards another ticket. I knew I would not receive a refund but could use the voucher so no problem. A month ago I tried to book a new flight and use the voucher only to be told that since the ticket was in the other family members name, even though it clearly lists my name and card number as the person who paid for it on the front, She is the only one that can use the voucher. That is so stupid. When I contacted Southwest I just the too bad speech. So now I am out the 200 dollars from the voucher. Needless to say I will just go back to driving when it comes time for vacations. It is less hassle.

Date of travel: April 2017
    • Seat comfort
    • Customer service
    • Legroom
    • In-flight Entertainment
Thank 341AngelaS341
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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34,571 - 34,575 of 45,593 reviews

Reviewed 26 July 2017

If you don't mind not having an assigned seat #, Southwest is the way to go. There is a trick to getting a good seat on your Southwest flight or flights though, early check in. For those not familiar with the boarding process for Southwest, here's a run down. Southwest boards it's flights by groups and then numbers within the group. There is a group A, B, C, D, etc. depending on the number of seats booked for the flight. Each group then has at least 40 spaces within them. The earlier you check in for your flight, the more likely you will be in group A. The trick to this is to purchase early check in when booking your flight. My fee for this was $15. The airline checks you in automatically up to 36 hours before your flight. On my most recent flight, I did not wait for the airline to check me in. I checked in from home and printed my boarding pass, 40 hours before the boarding time, I ended up with a boarding position of A 22. You see, at the gate, 30 minutes before flight's departure time, the agent will begin calling out the groups starting with A. Passengers line up by their assigned group and their number within the group. Seats are first come first served once on the plane, so a person with a group A 1 position basically has the whole plane to choose a seat from. So if you wait until the day of and the last hour before your flight boards to check in, you can be assured you will be amongst the very last group boarding your plane.
Another reason I like Southwest is their baggage policy, your first checked bag is free and carry ons, limit of two per checked person, are free also. Sure the fare for your flight on Southwest may and I say may, be about $25 more than other carriers on same route, the good service and reputation of Southwest Airlines makes up for the difference. In addition to this, most Southwest flights have free wifi, and for me because I love their snacks, an unlimited supply of snacks & nonalcoholic beverages. On this flight, three separate offerings of snacks & drinks were served. Each time I was allowed to get as many of each I wanted. If I wanted any of these in between the serving times, I had no problem getting what I wanted.
On this flight our plane had to either detour around or over weather on five occasions. The pilot kept us informed well in advance of any of these changes and did his best to keep the flight smooth during each of those episodes. The cabin attendants were, and have been on every other Southwest flight I've ever flown, very polite and caring too.

Date of travel: July 2017
    • Seat comfort
    • Customer service
    • Cleanliness
    • Food and Beverage
    • Legroom
    • In-flight Entertainment
    • Value for money
    • Check-in and boarding
1  Thank samwoodalljr
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 26 July 2017

I personnaly do not like Southwest at all. First of all, their boarding system is a complete joke to where you have to check in faster then other people in order to get a better chance at a better seat. It never works and I always end up somewhere in the back of the plane on a middle seat. Just makes no sense. Also, our flight was delayed and theres no other way to get us home then on Southwest as they do not codeshare with anyone else. Wont be flying them again soon.

Date of travel: January 2017
    • Seat comfort
    • Customer service
    • Cleanliness
    • Food and Beverage
    • Legroom
    • In-flight Entertainment
    • Value for money
    • Check-in and boarding
Thank SteveRainville99
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 26 July 2017

We always choose Southwest to fly within the US. Their website is easy to use, as is there app; they are incredibly helpful when changes need to be made to tickets or flight plans; I love the way they board and have you choose seats; and no baggage fees!
Our most recent trip from Boston to KC was incredibly smooth. The flight crew is always pleasant, helpful, and kind; many times we get hilarious flight attendants, which is a perk. Our kids love the free in-flight tv shows, which makes the time go by quick for them and gives mom and dad a bit of quiet.

Date of travel: April 2017
    • Seat comfort
    • Customer service
    • Cleanliness
    • Food and Beverage
    • Legroom
    • In-flight Entertainment
    • Value for money
    • Check-in and boarding
Thank Sarah C
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 26 July 2017

I have used many different Airlines in my travels, but Southwest has always topped them all. The #1 thing I find with Southwest is that they are friendly and have great customer service. They really have a love and respect for your troops and the Airplanes are some of the cleanest. Plus you get two checkins free.

Date of travel: July 2017
    • Seat comfort
    • Customer service
    • Cleanliness
    • Food and Beverage
    • Legroom
    • In-flight Entertainment
    • Value for money
    • Check-in and boarding
Thank Duckmissions
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.