Southwest Airlines - never again

Not sure where to post this but wanted to alert anyone thinking of booking any flight on Southwest Airlines. When we booked a flight on Southwest Airlines from Manchester, NH to Las Vegas we had no idea about their OPEN (Only Pushy Enter Now) Seating policy. We soon heard about it from everyone we knew - not good things either. I called to inquire and express our concerns but no one really cared %26amp; told us it was %26#39;no big deal%26#39;. They said we could cancel for a fee. Also to top that off, since we booked a vacation thru their website, we were not eligible to logon 24 hrs in advance to get our booking letter (A,B,or dreaded C) - we had to wait until we got to the airport. Naturally, we got the dreaded %26#39;C%26#39; assignment. People were lined up, sitting on the floors, very pushy %26amp; we saw some very rude behavior.

We were able to sit together on the 5.5 hr flight in small cramped seats - no movie, no radio, nothing. We bought portable CD players just for the flight.

On the way back, again - the dreaded %26#39;C%26#39; seating. We were separated %26amp; had to sit in the middle seats with strangers. What an awful note to end our otherwise great vacation.

I have no idea why Southwest is rated highly. People I talked to hate the Open seating %26amp; don%26#39;t fly it after they experience it once. Their prices are ok but not the best, no frills, nothing at all special about them. If you have a choice - skip them.

I would think any company that wants to keep repeat business %26amp; also reward customers should treat them with far greater dignity %26amp; respect. We paid close to $1800 for a vacation thru their website - one would think that should at least have gotten us an automatic %26#39;A%26#39; seating, then we could be pushy too but at least we could sit together.

Experienced Southwest once %26amp; never again.

P.S. We Love JetBlue- great prices %26amp; great service but unfortunately not out of Manchester yet.

Southwest Airlines - never again

I never flew Southwest out of Manchester only out of Boston. We sat together on that flight out to Vegas. BUT I have to tell you, I remember thinking back on it that I couldn%26#39;t stand the flight or the fact that the plane was so packed. We were in that plane squished like sardines! It drove me crazy to think they%26#39;d subject their guests to that nonsense. I remember we talked about it and said the airline was nothing but ';cattle pushers!'; and we%26#39;d never fly with them ever again.

I think when we fly to Vegas nex year we%26#39;ll book a completely different airline all together if we can get a good deal.

SO sorry to hear about your experience, that%26#39;s too bad. May be by posting it here Southwest airlines will think more about what they%26#39;re subjecting people to and change their policy if enough people have complaints!

Southwest Airlines - never again

I may be wrong but I believe that Southwest Airlines doesn%26#39;t fly in or out of Boston. I believe they fly into Manchester, NH and Providence, RI only in New England. As for your experience that%26#39;s the way Southwest is yet they are wildly popular because the are lower priced. Not only that but they are the best way into Orlando aka Mouseville and people with kids like cheap.

Ahh well, JetBlue is your clue. You%26#39;ve been spoiled! LOL But I hear your lament. I won%26#39;t fly Southwest for the same reason. At least the other airlines let you pick your seats. Though you%26#39;re still packed in like sardines. I%26#39;d like to try JetBlue but it%26#39;s not worth the hassle and drive (1-1/2) to Boston. Unfortunately JetBlue won%26#39;t be coming to Manchester anytime soon. They recently inked a deal to fly out of Portland, ME. But for me Manchester%26#39;s the only way to fly. In, out and on my way!!

I have never flown Southwest so I do not have that experience to compare to but I did just recently fly both Delta and Northwest. The only difference I can see is the seating assignment and if that is a big deal to someone then they will have to pay the extra to select there seats. I think most flights out of smaller airports (I flew out of Bangor, ME) are on mostly smaller planes that make you fell ';packed like sardines'; that is just the way it is. Again I have not flown on Southwest yet but am considering it for an upcoming trip depending on the price comparison. That is the bottom line of why Southwest is so popular, the price, to people that do not care how comfortable they are just that they get there. I must say I applaud Southwest for keeping the prices low. Have Southwest pull out of Manchester and try booking a flight from there and see what you pay I bet it will nearly double. You can get deals with all airlines out of Manchester for one reason they have to compete with Southwest%26#39;s prices.

YES Local Expert DF in NH I flew out of Boston on AMERICA WEST NOT SOUTHWEST to Vegas that time, sorry about that! Forget my post knocking poor Southwest Airlines it was AMERICA WEST that we were ';squished like sardines'; on that flight! I get those two airlines mixed up all the time....sorry guys!

Southwest prices were not that much better than other airlines we checked. The only difference was the non-stop flight for the times we wanted. USAir %26amp; United had some good deals also. It pays to shop around no matter what. Small airline seats are always an issue but I know when we flew JetBlue last time, the seats were big, leather %26amp; the individual TV screen at each seat was great.

(yes we got spoiled)

Going into Logan can be a real hassle but if we need to we will. Don%26#39;t plan on heading back to LasVegas anytime soon but anywhere we do go, it won%26#39;t be on Southwest.

I would rather fly in anyhthing out of Manchester or Portland then fly out of Logan again. Flew out of there a couple years ago and showed up at the airport almost 3 hrs early and still almost missed the flight, took close to an hour to get parked and get the suttle to the terminal because the lots were so full and the shuttles were filling up before reaching our stop. Then it took another hour and a half to get checked it (via a check in kiosk) get baggage checked and get through security. We would not have made it at all except I flagged down a really nice security officer and told her I was afraid we would miss the flight and she took us to the front of the line. It is always great to get bigger seats and some entertainment i.e. TV screens on the seat but that doesn%26#39;t happen very often except for longer flights or flights between the largest of cities. My best flight ever was actually on a Song Flight (Delta) everything seemed brand new, large seats, and a TV screen at each seat on which you could view movies, TV channels, GPS tracking or play trivia with others on the flight it was great.

Two observations:

Last time I flew out of Boston I took the Concord bus from Portland to Boston. Made things sooooooo much easier. The bus delivers you right to the terminal%26#39;s front door. Plus, for me the bus fare was cheaper than airport parking in Boston (or Portland.)

A great resource for picking your seats on an airplane is http://www.seatguru.com Tells you plane-by-plane, which seats to avoid, which seats are roomier.

Thanks for the seat guru tip I am always changing my seats trying to figure out the best place to sit.

Coco, if you got the “dreaded” C seating, it is because you chose to come late to the airport. I have flown Southwest Airlines over 40 times in the past, and have never gotten the dreaded C seating option because I know to show up at least 1.5 hours early to be sure to get the best seating. Only the slackers who rush and only have 5 minutes to make the flight get the “C” option, for the last 50 who board the plane