We flew Southwest exclusively for 15 years. Love Field is 10 minutes from our house and it was just easy. When my kids were babies and toddlers, I never stressed about seating. We always got a row together. As they got older, I’d pay for EarlyBird just to be safe. No bag fees when baby gear turned into sports equipment was a huge plus. It wasn’t fancy, but it worked.
We even stayed loyal after the Christmas 2022 meltdown. Our family had to rent a car and drive all night from Wyoming to Dallas, and we still gave them another chance. Every airline messes up, right? The boarding process, the relaxed vibe, Love Field convenience made it worth it.
But we just flew the “new” Southwest and it was awful. The flight was maybe a quarter full and I still couldn’t move to sit with my kids. My 14 year old ended up seated between two grown men. Even other airlines have let me shift seats to keep my teen daughters near women. We were also pushed to check bags that easily would have fit.
It feels like everything that made Southwest different is gone. In six months they wiped out 15 years of goodwill. My husband even said he’d rather deal with DFW than this, and that says a lot. Hundreds of flights and tens of thousands of dollars later, we’re finished.
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