Southwest flies to more than 100 destinations in the U.S., Caribbean, and Mexico. It operates more than 3,800 flights a day and its low cost, the no-frill operating profile has made it the largest and most profitable domestic U.S airline which is the envy of the airline industry. However, flyers who want to buy a ticket from this popular budget carrier have to go directly to its website because Southwest is the only airline that does not share its airfare with airfare comparison sites.
From the onset Southwest’s business model was simple yet a pioneering one in itself. Its vision is all about great customer service, excellent time management of fleets, a marketing plan that’s transparent and honest and so far it has managed to keep itself off from the ridiculous fees that are charged by the other airlines. Their long-term approach to sales in the form of “transparency” is also reflected in their slogan, “No fees, nothing to hide.”
The airline offers a plethora of incentives to travelers like free checked baggage, free choice of selecting the seat, and a restricted fee policy.
Here are some of the benefits of choosing to fly with Southwest Airlines.
Choose your own preferred seat
There are no classes on the Southwest airline; there’s just the Economy class and there are no preferred seats as well so you can snag the perfect seat of your choice.
The option of Early Bird Check-in
With just $15 they guarantee you an early boarding position by automatically checking you in.
2 checked bags free
While other airline charges for a check-in bag, Southwest airline allow 2 check-in bags for free. Usually, the fee for a check-in bag is $35 if you check online, $55 at the check-in desk, and $100 at the gate.
Change of plans? Not a problem
While other airlines make quite a killing with cancellation charges whereas even the lowest tier class of Southwest airlines doesn’t make you pay extra on last-minute changes. Just let the agent know about the altered reservation and it’s a 5-minute job for them.
Award redemption is great with Southwest airline
Southwest Airlines’ “Rapid Reward” allows redeeming the points for a cash rate as opposed to a distance-based award chart or fixed prices of the award ticket provided by other airlines.
With unlimited reward seats, no blackout dates, and points that do not expire, all of this together makes South West one of the most chosen and most searched airlines on the internet.
Free Companion passes
Once you cover the 100 qualifying one-way flights or earn 110,000 qualifying points Southwest gives you a Companion pass where the flyer can select a companion and can fly along for free.
Lowest price honored
If you purchase a ticket and the price goes down, all you need to do is just go online and change your flight ticket to the present low price. If paid already, they will reimburse the difference in the form of a voucher that can be redeemed later or if paid through points, the difference in points will be transferred back to the flyers account.
Last-minute Southwest flights deals
South West comes up with its Click N Save deal every once a week late on Monday night.
South West recently held a flash sale where tickets were priced at $47 one way and $96 for a round trip that covered travel between late August and early December.
The sales covered a dozen of their most popular destinations and their standout last-minute Southwest flight deal included the $47 one-way flight from Louisville, Kentucky to Baltimore and Chicago, Illinois. The returning price on this sector was $49 which made $96 in total for a round trip.
Another worth noting offer was on the Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Havana, Cuba sector which went out for $89 along with a $95 return trip.
South West Last-Minute Deals
South West is encouraging customers to book directly through their own website by advertising its sale as “Web-only”. However, despite cutting through the fare aggregators’ website, South West airline’s last-minute flight deals, as per research was done that analyzed 10 airports where South West had a substantial presence, their airfare was cheaper than the lowest quote found online travel agencies.
From low-priced air tickets with fares 8.5% lesser than the lowest quote on other travel sites to last-minute airfares on Southwest airline’ portal that only does marginally well, booking directly on South West airline’s portal has its own advantage.
Southwest’s fares also take the lead when it comes to and prices for long-haul flights and also has a slightly greater advantage when it comes to the North-South routes where the difference and cost advantage of booking directly with the South West airlines was the greatest, such as a round-trip from Chicago to Florida.
South West Airline Sales
The latest Southwest Airlines sale had some insanely low fares discounts on many top domestic routes. These are some of the best sale prices we’ve seen from Southwest this summer. Act fast before these cheap flights are gone!
Southwest airline’s Promo codes
Promo codes appear directly in emails and newsletters of customers as a reward for loyalty and association with the airline. These can be used like in-store coupons and therefore referred to as coupon codes.
These promo codes can be encashed in form of a percentage or dollars off on the total purchase, or you might get upgrades like extra legroom or complimentary snacks.
Southwest Hub
Southwest does not have hubs however they utilize a point-to-point system of airports with large operations. As a matter of fact budget airlines like Southwest often use secondary airports to control their costs. Here are a few examples of airports from where Southwest airlines operate:
- Chicago Midway International Airport, IL
- Dallas Love Field, TX
- William P Hobby Airport, Houston, TX
- Fort Lauderdale International Airport, FL
- New York’s LaGuardia International Airport, Long Island MacArthur, and Newark Liberty International Airport, New York City, NY
Popular Domestic Destinations
- Chicago (ORD)
- Dallas (DFW)
- Houston (IAH)
- Fort Lauderdale (FLL)
- New York City (LGA)
Popular International Destinations
- Cuba (HAV)
- Dominican Republic (PUJ)
- Mexico (MEX)
- Belize (TZA)