Southwest Airlines Reservations

Southwest Airlines Reservations

Founded in 1967 to serve destinations in Texas, Southwest Airlines was initially unable to operate and saw long-haul flights from its original Dallas Love Field hub restricted by federal law for several decades. Despite these obstacles, Southwest has built a history of innovative business practices and has become one of the largest airlines in the United States and one of the largest low-cost airlines in the world.

Tips for traveling on Southwest Airlines

To help you take advantage of Southwest's best benefits and understand how Southwest differs from the major traditional airlines, follow this step-by-step guide on what to expect when flying with Southwest Airlines.

What to know before booking with Southwest Airlines

Southwest is considered one of the largest low-cost airlines in the world. Since so-called "low-cost" carriers tend to derive a considerable amount of revenue from ancillary rates, I'm not sure Southwest falls more into this category. In fact, Southwest is known for just the opposite. There are very few additional fees when booking a Southwest Airlines flight, and any fee is extremely easy to avoid.

• Two free checked bags

Years after major airlines such as American, Delta and United began charging more for checked bags, Southwest has maintained its policy of including two free checked bags (up to 50 pounds each) in all rates. This is in addition to the standard personal item and carry-on bag allowed on board, which some airlines even charge for now. If you need to carry a lot of luggage on your trip, Southwest will often be your best option, so don't forget to compare the total cost.

• No exchange fees

The other main advantage of flying Southwest is the flexibility of having no exchange fees. We all know that travel plans can change and Southwest will not penalize you for it. Rest easy knowing that you can change your dates or even your destination if your original travel plans don't work. Better yet, Southwest even offers a credit if the price drops after you've booked.

• Open seats

The biggest potentially negative difference between Southwest and other major airlines is the fact that there are no assigned seats at Southwest. Instead, Southwest has maintained an open seating policy, allowing you to choose any seat on the plane during boarding. However, depending on your shipping order, there may not be much to choose from if you are the last to board. Another major difference is that there is no first or business class at Southwest, so don't expect any premium service.

• Flight network

Southwest has a robust home network that focuses on providing direct service to more locations rather than relying on funneling all flights through a few central hubs like the other major airlines. Southwest has expanded internationally and recently began flights to Hawaii. Although Southwest currently does not have interline agreements, the large number of flights helps get passengers moving during times of irregular flight operations. And since Southwest only flies Boeing 737s, there are a large number of seats on each plane.

Do you like what you heard so far? Read on to learn more about how to book and what it's like to fly with Southwest Airlines.

How to book a flight with Southwest Airlines

The only way to book a flight on Southwest Airlines is by booking directly on Southwest.com. Although some third-party sites have incorporated Southwest's flight schedules into their search tools, the airline does not share fares with any third-party booking engines, and therefore you will not be able to compare prices on Southwest. Airfarewatchdog sends fare alerts on Southwest and all airlines, so you can compare and decide which option is the best for you.

• Be flexible with travel dates

When booking with Southwest, be sure to use the handy low rate calendar to view rates on a flexible date calendar. This way, you can easily find on which dates the lowest rates in the Southwest are available. Southwest offers three types of rates. The "Wanna Get Away" rates are the lowest option and really the only option that most leisure travelers should consider. The other two options, "Anytime" and "Business Select", are refundable, but the much higher price means that the few additional benefits they offer are not worth it.

• Early check-in

After selecting your flights, it is quite easy to complete the reservation. The only extra that you will be offered to purchase during booking is EarlyBird Check-In. This will automatically check you in 36 hours before your flight, so you'll be one of the first to board and have earlier access to choose your seat. However, you can usually get a decent boarding position just by setting a reminder to check in exactly 24 hours before departure.

• Southwest Sales Rates

Southwest generally has a weekly sale that is posted on Tuesdays and expires on Thursday of that week, or is sometimes an extended sale that lasts through the following week.

Checking in Online or Via Mobile: Step-by-Step

The KEY to getting the best possible seat is to register online for your flight in advance as soon as humanly possible.

Southwest lets you do this 24 hours in advance, so set your alarm, set your mobile phone, set your calendar notifications, set ANYTHING and EVERYTHING to remind you to do it right now.

If you have the Southwest app and have allowed notifications from the app, it will remind you too. That has saved me before!

These are your steps:

1. Open the Southwest app on your smartphone and select "Sign Up" at the bottom of the screen or click "Sign Up" on the Southwest home page at www.Southwest.com.
2. Please have your confirmation number handy and write it in the appropriate box along with your first and last name.
3. Click Check In as soon as the clock strikes exactly 24 hours before boarding. Hell, give it a try a couple of times before in case their clocks beat yours.
4. Once you click Check-In, Southwest will ask you how you would like your boarding pass delivered. Have a plan so that you can click on your choice and move on. You can choose to print, send to your phone by text message or send by email.
5. That's! The hardest part here is remembering to do this!

If you are returning from a trip, it may be more limited and it may be harder to remember, as you are likely out and about enjoying your vacation destination. It is possible to configure various alarms, but remember and using a smartphone is very useful in this case.

Of course, when you retire, an embargo is a sign that you are registered!

Know everything that you should know about Southwest Airlines Reservations before booking a flight with Southwest Airlines