Despite it being one of the most popular airlines in the United States, somehow we just never flown with them before. Our most recent trip to Fort Lauderdale was our first time taking Southwest airline. Quite frankly, Southwest doesn’t always come to mind because we don’t live in a hub city and they didn’t use to show details on Google Flights. Sometimes I simply just forget to check out their options. Southwest airline now shows up on Google Flight, which made it much easier to compare time and pricing. When we were looking for flights for our most recent cruise, Southwest had flight time that fits our schedule very well. It’s a great opportunity to try it out. The icing on the cake was that I was able to save extra money by buying discounted Southwest Gift card at Costco. You pay 450 dollars for 500 dollars’ worth of gift card.
Booking and Rebooking
We booked about 3 to 4 months out, I always feel better to have things booked even if it may change later. What was nice with Southwest is no change or cancellation fee, which made it a no brainer. The price was originally higher and it did drop during those few months until about one month before the travel date. Prior to travel day, we did rebook the flights 4 times to save money. Hot Tip: with Southwest airline, they allow you to rebook the same flight if the price has dropped and you will get a flight credit for the difference. The credit can be used for future flights. In total, we got 120 dollars in flight credit for each of us.
Early Bird Check in
We didn’t buy early bird check in for departing flight and we did for the returning flight. The reason we bought it was mainly because we knew we are going to be on cruise without internet access and wanted to ensure we get a good boarding group. Based on our experience this time, using the early bird check in didn’t make a big difference in boarding group. We still got boarding B on one of the flights and got group A on another flight. Plus we already will be getting family boarding. So I probably will NOT buy early bird check in again for future flights.
Family boarding and Open Seating
Southwest allows family boarding for family traveling with kids 6 year-old and under. You will get to board the flight after group A and prior to Group B. Southwest airline had open seating policy, so there is no assigned seat just boarding group. You get to pick whichever seat you want once onboard. It was a nice to do family boarding without having to upgrade boarding group. Although I was really surprised when we boarded, it was already quite difficult to find an empty row for 4 of us. Most airlines have family pre boarding to allow more time for families with young children to get settled in. So Southwest feature isn’t unique. But most airlines have assigned seats and we don’t typically have carry-on bags so boarding early vs later doesn’t matter as much to us. I am not a fan of open seating policy, it was a bit tricky for family traveling with young kids. We didn’t know what seats might be open so when we boarded, we have to make a decision fast how we are going to sit. We originally wanted to sit on one row with one parent and one kid on each side of the plane. Out of a total of 4 flights we took, that only happened once. It was not because there was no open row but more due to the rush and excitement of our kiddos. Once they picked the seats and other passengers started filling in so we didn’t get to change our mind. Well oh well, we were all fine, no issue really.
Checked bags
Well we can’t finish this post without talking about the checked bags!! At the time we booked our flights, Southwest offered 2 free checked bags per person. It was one of the top reasons many people pick the airline over others. It was a sweet deal but unfortunately that feature has gone away at the end of May. I know this has been a hot topic in the travel news lately and I personally am really disappointed too.
Flight experience
Overall all of my flights were great, their seats are reasonably comfortable and onboard service was good. They are very efficient and staff are friendly. We were on time for the most parts. I do have to mention free snack and drinks are a nice plus. Most budget airlines don’t offer anything these days. As a mom of two, I always appreciate some free snacks and drinks for kiddos, even though we always pack plenty ourselves. Just something to distract them and keep them happy during the flight.
Will we take Southwest again?
Absolutely!!! However with a big caveat. We would compare pricing, schedule etc. with all other airlines before deciding. Free Checked bags were a great competitive advantage, but since now that has gone away, it is no longer a factor. To me, Southwest is comparable with United, Delta etc. on all other aspects.
Note: There have been quite a few of recent changes published by Southwest and some have been announced and will go in effect soon. This post was based on our recent experience in June 2025.