Southwest Airlines does things a bit differently than the two airlines Atlanta travelers most often fly: Delta Air Lines and AirTran Airways.
Southwest’s buyout of AirTran, which closed last week, will eventually bring Southwest to Atlanta for the first time.
For now, AirTran remains a separate unit of Southwest and will continue to book flights under the AirTran name and at its own website.
But while the two carriers’ integration plays out over the next couple of years, local fliers may want to bone up on Southwest’s ways of doing things.
About seating:
You may already know Southwest doesn’t have assigned seating. But the airline a few years ago revamped its boarding procedures, offering ways to avoid getting stuck in a middle seat or having to sit apart from relatives.
Here’s the skinny:
● Most important, check in online at Southwest’s website 24 hours before your flight and print your boarding pass. That’s because you board in the order in which you checked in.
● If you can’t check in online, do so as soon as you get to the airport.
● Your boarding pass will assign you to boarding group A, B or C, and give you a boarding position ranging from 1 to 60. This is not a seat assignment; it’s your position in line to board. That means you don’t have to rush to the gate to get in line.
● When the agent calls your boarding group, line up next to the correct numbered column for your boarding position.
● Board and sit in any available seat.
Some passengers get automatically reserved boarding positions, including Business Select, who are guaranteed positions in the front of the A Group, followed by EarlyBird Check-In and A-List Members of Southwest’s frequent flier program.
Some reservations, such as military fares, are not eligible for online check-in.
Source: Southwest.com
Routes and hubs:
Southwest grew up using a network of point-to-point routes rather than the hub-and-spoke setup of most big airlines. Many Southwest travelers use connecting flights, but a cross-country trip can be a hopscotch affair. However, Southwest has added longer flights out of major markets over the years, blurring the difference. Its buyout of AirTran means taking over a full-fledged hub at the world’s busiest airport.
Here are Southwest’s top cities after the AirTran deal:
1. Baltimore/Washington — 226 daily departures
2. Chicago (Midway) — 224
3. Las Vegas — 220
4. Atlanta — 200
5. Phoenix — 184
6. Orlando — 169
7. Denver — 144
8. Houston (Hobby) — 130
9. Dallas (Love Field) — 117
10. Los Angeles — 112
Note: Data based on March departures. By comparison, Delta and its affiliates operate roughly 1,000 daily departures from Atlanta.
Frequent fliers:
Southwest’s recently revamped Rapid Rewards program has no blackout dates and points don’t expire, though you have to earn points every 24 months to keep your account active.
Points earned depend on fare. Wanna Get Away fares earn 6 points per dollar; Anytime fares earn 10 points per dollar; Business Select fares earn 12 points per dollar.
Points required for award travel also depend on the fare for the flight you’re trying to book. A Wanna Get Away fare costs 60 points per dollar; an Anytime fare costs 100 points per dollar; a Business Select fare costs 120 points per dollar.
Southwest’s website has a video on Rapid Rewards: http://www.southwest.com/html/rapidrewards/video-gallery.html
Southwest hasn’t laid out details yet on folding AirTran’s A+ Rewards program into Rapid Rewards.
Fare structure:
Southwest sells seats mainly through its own website and does not participate in big online sites like Travelocity or Orbitz. Here are its three fare levels:
● “Wanna Get Away” discounted fares are nonrefundable and the cheapest prices offered.
● “Anytime” fares that offer more frequent flier points, are refundable and allow same-day changes.
● “Business Select” fares are the most expensive and are aimed at short-notice travelers who need flexibility. They are refundable, earn more points and include an alcoholic beverage and automatic entry into the first boarding group. That’s a perk because Southwest does not have assigned seating and early boarders get the best selection.
It’s impossible to predict how Southwest’s arrival will affect fares from Atlanta, but the airline touts itself as a low-price leader. A recent search for round trip Birmingham-San Francisco flights on Southwest turned up flights with one or two stops, priced from $328 at the Wanna Get Away fare, $908 at Anytime and $958 at Business Select.
Delta’s cheapest fare for a one-stop flight from Birmingham also was $328, while its refundable fare was $845. AirTran does not serve Birmingham, but Atlanta-San Francisco round trip fares ranged from $288 coach to $1,192 business class.
Fees:
Southwest does not charge checked baggage fees like Delta and AirTran do. Southwest allows the first and second checked bags for free. Southwest also does not charge change fees, though passengers may need to pay a higher fare if they change flights.
Southwest does charge other fees, including:
$10 each way for EarlyBird Check-In, which increases the chance of boarding earlier in Southwest’s open seating system.
$5 each way for in-flight Internet access. Delta charges from $4.95 to $12.95 per flight, depending on the length. Mobile access and multi-use passes have different rates.
$75 each way to carry on a pet. Delta charges $125, and $200 to check a pet.
$50 each way for unaccompanied minors, in addition to fare. Delta charges $100.
The Airlines:
AirTran
Fleet: 140 jets, including Boeing 737s and 717s
Passengers boarded in 2010: 24.6 million
Airports: 69
Foreign destinations: 6
U.S. market share/rank in 2010: 3.4%/7
On-time rate/rank in 2010: 82.8%/6
Employees: 7,914
Union representation: About 81%
Founded: 1993
Southwest
Fleet: About 550 jets, all Boeing 737s
Passengers boarded in 2010: 106.3 million
Airports: 72
Foreign destinations: 0
U.S. market share/rank in 2010: 14.8%/2
On-time rate/rank in 2010: 79.5%/10
Employees: 35,357
Union representation: About 82%
Founded: 1971
Source: Airline fact sheets and financial reports, U.S. Transportation Department
About the Author
