Travel in the USA: Southwest Airlines Review

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Our plane preparing for flight

Airports aren't always the most exciting places. Not unless their the starting point of a fun trip. Before getting to the airport, there is always the process of choosing what airline to fly in the first place.

I invited my mom to travel to San Franciso, California. I had been several times and knew it was a great city to with plenty of things to do and see. I always start my search for airlines with the online travel sites. There I can usually find the airlines side by side for the best pricing. Then I compare those prices directly on the airline's sites. I  check Southwest Airlines as their prices are not posted on those sites. Prices are not the only important thing for me. I also check for the availability of direct flights. It's not fun sitting in airport for lay overs just to save a few dollars. 

Since I was traveling with my mother, I had some extra considerations to take into account. While I am used to traveling and can fit all I need in my carry on luggage. My mom likes to pack much more. I knew she would want to pack an extra bag. I also knew that extra bag could cost as much as $30 each way. Automatically, I was drawn to checking Southwest Airlines for rates to San Francisco. I did find the best rates compared to other airlines. Unfortunately, I didn't find direct flights at times that we convenient for us. However, I found rates for the Oakland, California airport which I knew was nearby and not only found better prices, but better times with direct flights. My experiences with Southwest in the past have always been good so I booked our flights, happy to have found convenient flights much lower than the other airlines I checked.

Mom waiting for our flight

With Southwest Airlines, there is no assigned seating so the earlier you can check in, the better boarding position you get. I wasn't able to check in right at the 24 hour before mark but I was able to check in online early enough to get a B boarding pass. This would at least allow us to find two seats together. However, compared to other airlines I've flown, Southwest seems to board faster. I wonder if it's because people keep moving until finding an empty seat instead of stopping in front of someone who has a seat further back.

Our flight boarded on time and was out of the gate on on the runway within ten minutes of the scheduled depart time. We arrived exactly on time in Oakland. The flight attendants were pleasant. The seats were comfortable. Our experience was definitely a good one. I was impressed with yet another trip with Southwest in which my flight was on time. Next time I travel, I will check Southwest first, as I not only like the on time flights, but the chance to check in one piece of luggage at no extra charge. Thanks Southwest for another great flight. I can't wait to write about our trip to San Francisco.

**This is not a sponsored post. I did not receive anything in return for my post.