Why Southwest is Still America’s Most Family-Friendly Airline

A few weeks ago, I flew Southwest to one of their newer destinations — Providenciales in Turks and Caicos. While the Southwest boarding process is annoying and there’s nothing remarkable about their planes, I was still excited about the flight.

The main reason I like flying Southwest is because the people are so friendly. The flight attendants usually crack a few funny jokes, and they are always smiling and making you feel comfortable.

This particular flight to Turks and Caicos was also special since they made the entire plane sing happy birthday to a guy named Brian. The flight attendants even made Brian a birthday cake out of toilet paper and pretzels, which was pretty funny. They also gave him a bottle of champagne when he landed, which was a nice touch!

5 Reasons Southwest is Still America’s Most Family-Friendly Airline

But, there are plenty of other reasons to love Southwest, including some that ensure it is consistently called America’s most family-friendly airline. If you have never flown Southwest before and you travel with your family, here are a few reasons to give the airline a second look:

You get two free checked bags.

One reason Southwest is so friendly for families is the fact that everyone gets two free checked bags whether they pay in cash or miles. Since it usually costs as least $25 per checked bag, this leads to an average savings of $200 round-trip per family of four.

Families with kids six and under get to board early.

While the first-come-first-serve boarding process Southwest uses can be messy and stressful, families with children ages six and under get a special perk. They get to board between the first (A) group and the second group, the B group. This almost ensures they’ll get to sit together where they want.

It’s easy to earn free flights.

Southwest offers several rewards cards that make earning free flights easy, including a brand new offering with a 65,000 mile signup bonus. The fact that Southwest is a Chase partner is also great since you can transfer points 1:1 from Chase Ultimate Rewards to the airline.

There are no blackout dates or capacity controls.

Another benefit of flying with Southwest miles is that, generally speaking, there are no blackout dates. If you can find a seat on a plane, you can book it with miles provided you are willing to fork over the number of miles they ask for.

Southwest has frequent sales.

Last but not least, the fact that Southwest has frequent sales is a boon whether you pay in cash or airline miles. It’s not uncommon to find Southwest flights for less than $60 one-way, and I’ve personally booked award flights for 3,400 miles one-way in the past. That’s a steal, but it’s even better since Southwest doesn’t charge any hidden fees like some other airlines.

 

The Bottom Line

If you haven’t flown Southwest lately, I urge you to try it again. It’s not a luxury experience by any means, but it will likely leave you feeling positive. The fact that you can earn miles to fly for free is just icing on the cake.

Do you ever fly Southwest Airlines? Why or why not?