When it comes to flying in old planes with no frills. Southwest is now following in the footsteps of Spirit and Frontier. The difference is that their pricing does not correspond to what they provide.
The majority of my flights in the last year have been with American, which has been great because it has earned me Gold Status. As a result, I received a free First Class upgrade on a recent flight. I did manage to take one Jet Blue flight, which was also quite enjoyable, though their website is practically useless, which is a separate issue.
In comparison to Jet Blue and American, the aircraft fleet is in desperate need of an upgrade. The SW 737 feels clunky and old, with a very cramped seat. It reminded me of flying in the 1990s. All we’re missing are the onboard CRT monitors.
You may be wondering why I’m comparing Southwest, with its free bags and no assigned seating, to airlines below and above it. With the most recent flight prices, SW has almost always cost more than American in my recent searches, making it no longer worth the hassle of searching outside of Google Flights.
For the time being, I’ll avoid SW as much as possible until they either lower their prices back to the $60 one-way we used to see, or update their fleet to include the amenities of others in their price class.
