Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines deals come from the most well-known low-cost-carrier in the world. It flies to destinations around the US. Whenever possible, the airline flies to secondary airports (like Houston Hobby and Chicago Midway). This helps them save on airport fees. Southwest provides basic services on all flights. There is no assigned seating (except for those who pay an extra fee) and no in-flight entertainment. However, the airline is one of the only remaining US carriers to offer free snacks and to allow passengers to check baggage without paying an additional fee.

Southwest is also one of the few airlines to remain profitable during the recent economic down-turn. It has maintained a high level of customer satisfaction despite only offering basic services in-flight. Customers have cited things like the lack of extra fees, low-cost flights and free food as major reasons for choosing to fly on the carrier.

The Southwest Effect is the media’s name for the increased popularity of low-cost-carriers around the world. Airlines like Ryanair, in Europe, and AirAsia, in East Asia, have been very successful using variations of Southwest’s business model. AirTran, once a competitor, recently announced a merger with Southwest. Southwest will take over operation of AirTran and both airlines will run under the Southwest name. Southwest only sells tickets on its web site. Information about flights is not available on sites like Travelocity or Orbitz. This may be inconvenient, but it cuts out the middleman and helps the airline keep fares low.

Important Information

Hub: Dallas Love Field DAL

Fleet: Boeing 737 (mostly 737-700 model)

Most popular destinations: Dallas (Love Field), Houston (Hobby), Chicago (Midway), Denver, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Baltimore (Marshall), Oakland

On-time performance: 69%

Extra fees: No baggage fees for first two checked bags

Awards program: Rapid Rewards

Cabin features and services: No movies/music, in-flight wi-fi and free snacks available