Southwest is a low cost carrier that can offer a lot to value seeking customers. I am definitely one of those. The majority of the flights I take are domestic and usually my wife is flying with me. So Southwest's domestic flight schedule, along with select Caribbean and Mexican destinations, usually meets my needs.
Southwest began service in MEM around the time Delta ceased using it as a hub. Their presence in MEM has continued to grow. With a limited number of airlines servicing MEM and few non-stop destinations available from all carriers combined, Southwest has filled a void quite nicely in my view.
So here are the advantages of and ways I try to maximize flying Southwest:
- I always book my flights with points. Rapid Reward points can be accumulated through Chase personal & business co-branded credit cards, spending on those credit cards, the Rapid Rewards shopping portal, Rapid Rewards dining program, using Rapid Rewards partners.. . . the list goes on and on.
- I maintain a Companion Pass. With this great perk my wife can fly anywhere, anytime with me and only have to pay the flight taxes, which for one-way domestic flights are $5.60. I first obtained one in 2014 and recently had it extended through December 31, 2018.
- Once my flight is booked I add my wife with the Add Companion option. I can Add Companion to my flight online if
1) my flight is a paid flight
2) I book my flight with points from my Rapid Rewards points
3) My flight is booked with points from my wife's Rapid Rewards account
4) My flight is booked with points from any of my childrens' or friends' Rapid Rewards account
- I always book flights one way. There is no cash or point discount for booking round trip over one-way flights. If I have a future round trip booked and the outbound price/points drops but the return price/points rises then canceling and rebooking will not SAVE me any money /points because I would have to cancel both ways to rebook. Booking one way WILL allow you to take advantage of price/point drops.
- I cancel and re-book flights when the price/point drops. When I see a new sale announced this reminds me to check my booked flights against the current price/points. If current the price/points is lower then I cancel existing reservation and rebook.
- I only book Wanna Get Away fares. Southwest flights only have one cabin so in my opinion the very limited perks of booking Anytime or Business fares eliminates those rates.
- Southwest allows 2 checked bags per passenger at no charge. This is valuable by itself.
- I use Airline Travel Credits from credit cards with those perks to purchase $50 Southwest gift cards. This amount has always triggered statement reimbursement for me. I use these gift cards to pay the taxes when I book new flights.
- I rarely pay for Early Bird Check In. I check in online exactly 24 hours before flight departure. If you have never flown Southwest, the entire plane is open seating. First come, first serve. No first class cabin. So, they have a number system that requires lining up before boarding. Better positions are obtained by booking Business or Anytime fares, having A-list status, paying $15 for Early Bird Check In or checking in online EXACTLY 24 hours prior to departure. So if you haven't paid for a reserved place in the boarding line then every second counts once Check In goes live. I understand this boarding/seating system freaks some out but I can only recall one flght segment over the years when I wasn't seated next to my companion.
This approach has allowed me and my wife to fly Southwest for pennies on the dollar for the past few years.
Thats why I agree it is the Luv Airline.
f you feel you benefit from this blog and are considering applying for a credit card please email me at 4points2miles@gmail.com for an application link. I will send what I believe to be the best sign up bonus currently available, regardless of whether or not I will receive a referral bonus. Thanks!
