I have flown Southwest MANY times (last trip was a week ago)and NEVER have had an issue with finding a great seat, never wandered the aisles looking for that seat, never found an issue standing in line (that is any different from standing in line for ANY airline when waiting to board) or having room for my carry on luggage. It is totally different for SWA boarding of years past when it WAS a cluster frick...Honest....
The standing in line thing is actually better than other airlines because instead of the onslaught of EVERYONE who stands in front of the boarding area it is controlled and divided into 3 groups...much different from groups 1-5 which everyone ignores and just clot up the boarding area anyway.
$12.50 for early bird and you literally have your choice of ANY seat on the bird and PLENTY of overhead space. When I got on my last BOS-MSY flight there were literally 8 occupied seats leaving 130 or so seats for me. The return had 9 occupied.
Better seat pitch, free live TV on your personal device, free checked bags (2) and no change fees.
That said it is not my 1st choice for flying (JB is) but it is most definitely my 2nd and we take at least 8-10 trips a year.
Would I rather have my seat chosen in advance? Absolutely...but noting the above perks, and if the price is better, I have ZERO issues with choosing SWA.
Late edit: I should also add that ANY seat that is available for sale is also available for FF miles (points). Obviously the earlier you get the FF seat the less points it costs (as with the cash option)
Last edited by boucharda; 05/26/2015 09:08 AM.
.
