Articles

Tagged: southwest-airlines

Southwest Airlines to Start Filling Every Seat Again, Despite Covid

Just in time for the holidays, Southwest Airlines announced it will no longer restrict ticket sales for flights, which will result in middle seats being occupied on full…

Southwest's Sweet Deal for a Free Companion Ticket Ends Thursday, Sept. 24

This is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it sale. Purchase tickets on Southwest Airlines by the end of the day on Thursday, September 24, for a flight between now and November 15, and you will…

Southwest Airlines Introduces New Social Distancing Rules

Southwest Airlines has introduced new social distancing measures at airport gates and in the skies. As of May 2, the airline is following a temporarily modified boarding process and…

Airfares Could Spike in the Near Future. Buy Now!

I've spent much of my career trying to predict where airfares are going. Like a fortune-teller consulting tea leaves, I've used the same tools over and over in that effort. For…

A Battle Royal is Raging Between Airlines Flying to Hawaii, Writes Arthur Frommer

The fight is on. The battle rages. In March and April just past, Southwest Airlines began flying from San Jose and Oakland, California, to Honolulu and Maui. It will soon add daily…

This Spring, It Will Never Be Cheaper to Fly to Hawaii, Says Arthur Frommer

The biggest news in travel is the recent start-up by price-cutting Southwest Airlines of a massive number of flights from the U.S. west coast to the islands of Hawaii. Travel to those…

Nuts! Southwest Airlines Stops Serving Them on Flights

If you were on Family Feud and Steve Harvey asked you to name a snack served on an airplane, it's a cinch that peanuts would be on the board, probably as the number-one answer. Which…

The Fees Travelers Love....At Least for Now

Discuss the mechanics of travel with most folks and the talk inevitably turns to fees. Sometimes you can actually feel the room heating up as travelers rail against having to pay…

Bags Fly Free (and Slow), Prince's Estate to Become a Museum, and More: Today's Travel Briefing

Here's what's happening today in the world of travel. * DOES SOUTHWEST'S "BAGS FLY FREE" POLICY CAUSE DELAYS? (Consumerist). Southwest Airlines makes a big deal out of still not…

Senators Demand Answers from the Airlines, Chimps Prove Travel Makes You Smarter, and More: Our Daily Travel Briefing

SENATORS DEMAND ANSWERS FROM DELTA, SOUTHWEST (Dallas Morning News)In the past month alone, service on two major U.S. airlines ground to a halt because of computer glitches. Now, some…

Southwest's Computer Troubles, an Irish Island Welcomes Americans Fleeing Trump, and More: Today's Travel Briefing

Here's what's happening today in the world of travel.* SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CONTINUES TO GRAPPLE WITH EFFECTS OF COMPUTER GLITCH (Arizona Republic). Southwest Airlines and its passengers…

America’s Best Airline Is Crowned, But Is It About to Sink Soon?

It looks like Alaska Airlines just made a great deal in picking up Virgin America, which was itself just rated, for the fourth year in a row, as the best airline in the U.S. by the…

The Department of Transportation Is Getting Serious About Airlines Compensating Passengers for Damaged Luggage

If you think passengers are being treated disrespectfully by the airlines—what with ever shrinking seats and ever growing fees—consider what their luggage is going through. Recently,…

The Sky Isn't Falling But Airfares Are: Air Pricing Sees the Biggest One-Month Drop in 20 Years

For months, the second most popular travel question that's been lobbed my way (after "is X, Y or Z safe?") has been: "Why, with the cost of gas so low, haven't airfares…

The Time Has Come to Consider Re-Regulation of the Airline Industry

In a modern democracy, "regulation" is no longer a dirty word. Unregulated medications can hurt or kill you, unregulated monopolists can destroy competition, and unregulated…

Which Frequent Flyer Program Is the Best for Actually Redeeming Miles? A Massive New Study Provides Some Answers

We have to give thanks to Consumer Reports, which has done the heavy lifting on this one, completing a study of some 70 million passenger in the last year has yielded important data…

American Airlines Goes Its Own Way on Frequent Flyer Miles….For Now. And Travelers Should Be Grateful

Loyalty doesn’t always go both ways. That’s the sad truth that members of the frequent flyer programs for most of the major North American carriers found out this fall when two of…

Delta's Big Announcement: Mileage Awards Will Soon Be Tied to Money Spent Rather Than Miles Flown

Delta Airlines announced a game-changing move today: instead of giving award miles based on the number of miles a passenger has flown, it will link mileage to the cost of the ticket.…

The Bad News About Flights That Arrive Early

Did your latest flight arrive early? Mine did and that's not necessarily a good thing. As a recent analysis in USAToday showed, airlines are padding their flight times to improve…

Three Nights in Los Cabos, from $739 with Air

Apple Vacations (tel. 800/517-2000; www.applevacations.com) is offering a sale on winter 2013 vacations to warm destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico, including this air-inclusive,…

How Bad Companies Turn Customers Into Critics: It's in the Fine Print

As a lawyer, Sam Wyrick is no stranger to fine print. So when Spirit Airlines canceled his flight during its recent strike, he did what any respectable attorney would do: He read…

How to Complain to the Airlines: Effective Ways to Get Ahead

Air travel isn't always fun. Things go wrong. And while you're unlikely to get compensated because a summer thunderstorm made your plane late, it's often worth complaining to the…

On the Trail of "The Lost Symbol" in Washington, D.C.

Dan Brown's blockbuster success with The Da Vinci Code and its ensuing, inevitable film adaptation inspired a sort of literary tourism, geared toward enthusiasts who wanted to follow…

3 Stops Along British Columbia's Wine Trail

Who could guess? For only C$18.99, you can buy a bottle of wine that the Canadian prime minister served President Obama on a state visit in February, and in the same marvelous town…

Fake Travel Insurance? 6 Questions to Ask Before Buying a Policy

George Fredrickson never suspected the travel insurance he bought for his transatlantic cruise last year was fake.When he paid nearly $8,000 for a Christmastime sailing on the…