Southwest Airlines became a major airline through no frills and minimum fees. They are famous for their open seating policy and checked luggage flying for free. As other airlines struggled, Southwest thrived by offering flights at a fraction of the cost of its competitors. Southwest has had a reputation for great customer service and that doesn’t end with serving the military community. Southwest Airlines provides a few benefits and perks for the military community, including military boarding, baggage accommodations, and military fares.
Southwest Airlines Military Boarding
Anybody who has ever flown with Southwest would understand with the open seating policy, how early you get to board the aircraft can make or break your flight. If you have never flown with Southwest before, I recommend you check out their boarding process FAQs to gain an understanding of how it works. For the sake of brevity, I will just leave it at you want to board as early as possible. With this in mind, the fact that Southwest allows military personnel to potentially board earlier in the process can be a significant perk for travelers. Southwest allows all active-duty US military members, with a valid ID, to board between the A and B groups. This is significant, because it essentially guarantees the traveler to get the type of seat (aisle, middle, or window) that is desired. Additionally, there will be ample room in the overhead containers to accommodate any carry-on luggage. Boarding earlier in the process is a similar benefit provided by other airlines, but it has a more significant impact when flying on Southwest.
Checked Bags for Military
Just as the early boarding perk has a uniquely greater impact for those flying on Southwest, the military baggage has a uniquely lesser impact for most of those flying Southwest. Southwest offers two free checked bags, 50lbs or less, for all their customers. Active-duty military customers, however, are exempt from the two-piece baggage limit and will not be subject to excess, oversize, or overweight baggage up to 100lbs or 80 inches in size (L+W+H). Therefore, Southwest allows active-duty members to travel with up to 20 pieces of baggage each up to 100lbs. It is important to note this does not extend to dependents if not travelling with the active-duty member. Non-active military customers must have their orders to receive the exception. Active-duty personnel simply need to provide an active military ID at the time of check-in to receive the exception. If you plan to travel with lots of luggage or are taking a long family trip with lots of bags, this perk could certainly come in handy.
Southwest Airlines Military Fares
Southwest also offers military fares for Active-duty, cadets, reservists and National Guard with active orders, and their dependents. I have personally used the Southwest military fares a couple of times and my experience has been mixed. The benefit of this perk is highly dependent upon the route you are flying. Although not stated on their website, the prices appeared to align with the Government city pair prices. These prices can be found on the General Services Administration website. This means if the commercial flights are above the city pair prices, then the military fares would be beneficial. Many times, the prices found on Southwest.com are lower than these prices, however. The other problem I ran into when trying to book the military fare is that each flight only has a small number of military tickets allocated to it. This means that if the military fares are less than the publicly offered fares, they tend to be booked very quickly. As I mentioned, I have used this multiple times and there have been several times where I have saved up to 30% off the advertised price. You cannot find these fares online, but it is worth the phone call to Southwest to see if there are tickets available, 1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792).
Southwest Airlines provides several military benefits and perks while continuing to be an exemplar of quality customer service. Depending on your route, the military fares can be very beneficial. Additionally, the early boarding can ensure you get the seat you’re looking for. Finally, if you’re travelling with lots of bags, Southwest has you covered by providing not only the first two bags free, but up to twenty. Thank you to Southwest Airlines for supporting our men and women in uniform and providing these great military benefits.
