I learned that trick about 20 years ago, when I realized that Alaska doesn't discount when booking roundtrip. Nowadays, the only time I don't book each leg of a trip separately is if I'm using a companion fare.
Most domestic fares don't discount for RT. Been that way for awhile.
When has SW ever charged less for handicapped passengers? They do allow them to preboard, just like every other airline.
He didn't say "SW ever charged less for handicapped passengers." He said they are allowed to buy a cheaper fare than Business Select and board first. Of course, we all know the flight cures their ailments.
Although, at least for now for lower 48 travel there is a cap on bag fees, and that's around $75. ShipGo starts at that price and while you do need to send the bag a week in advance, they offer to pick it up at your house and deliver it to the first hotel / resort whatever you're going to. IMHO this added value (assuming it works, lots of people claim it did) probably could kick in at a lower price - $65, $55? IDK what people feel is worth paying to not need to haul the bag to and from the airport. I seriously considered it for our trip to CA this time, but Alaska only charged $35 for the checked bags vs $50 that I'm pretty sure United does. If it had been $50 we might have done it. I might still do it for a suitcase that broke while I was here (a wheel broke off so I can't get it through an airport) if we decide we have stuff to bring back that won't fit in our existing (and my replacement) suitcase.
To this OP, I have seen handicapped passengers in a wheelchair board a SW plane early. But, at the end of the flight that walked off the plane and they do not need a wheelchair . IMHO, something is wrong.
Assigned seating is going to change much of that. We've already gone down that road and it won't be much of an issue after they implement assigned seating.
Generally speaking I really dislike nickle and dimeing. Especially "junk fees". Are checked bags a "junk fee"? That's hard to say, you certainly CAN fly without checking bags. But I think many people would like a "bundle" of what economy "used to be" - i.e. pick a seat, carry on, and some checked bag(s). I would agree that having to buy 2 checked bags like "you used to" would be overkill though. I would have preferred if airlines had named the completely stripped down something else, and I'd prefer it if it wasn't so confusing now with Economy, Economy Plus, Preferred this and that - there's like 3 or 4 "economy" tickets now and it's way too hard to figure out IMHO.
Flying Southwest does result in the most miracles of any airline I've flown. Thirty people board in wheelchairs, and 25 are able to walk by the time the plane lands.
I figure that what people say with their pocket book is what matters, not what they say out loud. Companies nickel-and-dime because they make more money that way, which means that in the end enough people buy the cheap ticket that piles on added fees, rather than the more expensive ticket that includes the perks, to make the nickel-and-dime sales a net revenue generator.
The issue is that with nickle and diming, you can't know what the equivalent costs are or certainly not easily with aggregators etc. All it really shows is people are OK being lied to about the price and do not have the ability to get to real out the door pricing on multiple options at the same time IMHO. I think a good aggregator / search engine should start giving you a "choose what bags etc you need" before it shows any flight options, and then give the pricing for those actual bundles for you to choose between.
Junk fees are usually considered fees that add no real value. I wouldn't consider checked luggage fees to be junk fees. I would perhaps consider a seat selection fee to be a junk fee since you do need a seat to sit in on the plane. You don't necessarily need to check a bag. Sometimes the term convenience fee is better, but in very few cases do the fees really add value. Kind of a reason why people don't free shipping. People don't really see value in shipping and don't like paying shipping fees when ordering online.
A-List status ... NICE. Last month I used the link on SWA to apply for this card for to get the companion pass. JPM was a PIA. We are big customers of theirs (including a JPM UA card) and they still flagged our account as possible fraud where it was stuck for over a month even after four phone calls and two in-branch visits. Finally we get approved and get the card rushed to us. Even that was painful. Then after thinking about it I realized the Priority Card would work better for us ... so we call to get it upgraded (more $ for them) and JPM says they can't convert the card until after a full year, no exceptions. WT.... Makes me want to move to a completely different bank all together. And that will likely happen after we use up the Companion Pass. We left WF a year ago because of all their shenanigans.If anyone (like me) still wants to fly Southwest, they are offering a great deal when you sign up for a credit card.
Also, in a strange twist, today I signed into my account and discovered that I had been given A-List status until 12/31/25. I have no idea why.
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Rapid Rewards Consumer Credit Cards | Southwest Airlines
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Large banksters.
Ironically WestJet originally started out largely basing their business model on Southwest. I used to really enjoy flying with them, but they essentially are charging full airline prices for a fraction of the service. If you like the Al la carte model then Flair airlines is probably a better option (although it has fewer flights).
The fly all around Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, so that is not accurate. Maybe you meant to say they don't fly to Europe?
Nor Asia Pacific, nor Africa, nor the Middle East. I wish they would open up to South America and add Panama as well since they already have penetration in Central America.
