united vs. southwest?

Question

I'll be flying from Chicago to San Diego in June. Both United and Southwest are just over 400 dollars RT. I think United is two dollars more. Believe it or not, I've never flown either airline (I always fly American or Delta). Which one is better?

Answer 1

I fly all the time for work (once a week at least), and most of that is on United Airlines. I may be biased, since I fly United so often that I have elite status with them (meaning I get priority boarding, no checked baggage fees, and frequent upgrades). So of course I would choose United. However, if you plan on checking baggage, Southwest doesn't charge for that which as an advantage for them. They also fly to Midway Airport in Chicago (which I've never actually been to, but I'd guess it's easier to deal with than O'Hare). As far as overall service on those airlines - I've actually found United to be friendly and efficient, and I've actually had a couple of experiences with Southwest where the flight attendants seemed rushed and not particularly friendly and in one case, they were exceptionally rude. The other disadvantage to Southwest is that they don't offer assigned seats, and their boarding process is actually less efficient than other airlines as a result - plus if you want to be guaranteed a window or aisle seat, then you might not necessarily get that on Southwest. And on either airline, the only service you'll get is a can of Coke. So overall, I think United is definitely better - just be prepared to pay $25 to check a bag with them if you're planning on checking luggage.

Answer 2

I would go with United. The quality of passengers is better on United than on Southwest. Southwest is like the Greyhound of the skies. Yes, you get free checked bags but you may be sitting next to a homeless man starting a new life in San Diego and won't be shy about sharing his life story with you. With United, you have more business travelers and people who know how to travel. Flying on United will be just like flying on Delta or American.

Answer 3

As the others have stated, Southwest lets us check 2 bags free. Another important thing I like about Southwest is it does not charge any change fees at all, I can change my dates any time I want, and if the new fare is lower, which happens quite often believe it or not, I get a credit back.



About having more business travelers on United, this is true. Southwest is basically US domestic while UA flies international, and SW is known to cater more to tourists. As such if you are looking for airport lounges and to be treated with pomp, and look like a businessman, go with UA. If you're just an average person who just wants to have a relaxing flight, choose SW, it's well known many of its flight attendants make little performances with humor or songs. I used to fly American and I hated how their attendants treated average folks as merchandise not humans. SW attendants seem to be more humane.

Answer 4

Southwest. When you add on all the fees you may or may not pay (checked bags, window/isle seats, etc.) with United, Southwest could be a lot cheaper. They also fly out of Midway instead of O'hare so you have a better chance of avoiding delays and congestion do to high passenger volume (O'hare is significantly busier than Midway). From personal experience, Southwest's customer service has been a lot better. Their customer service reps and flight crews seem like they actually want to be their helping you vs some of the others that are only doing it for a paycheck

Answer 5

personally i enjoy southwest airlines.

i've found their staff to be pleasant and getting two free checked bags plus your free carry on and personal item sweetens the deal for me.

and you can sit where ever there is an open seat and don't pay more for it.