But it is interesting to note that Southwest's "low-cost" reputation is, at this point, mostly based on memory and advertising, not reality.
Southwest often isn't the lowest fare on a given itinerary anymore, for example, and airports where Southwest is the dominant carrier are also, mostly, those which have seen the largest fare increases over the past decade.
And that's without getting into the fact that Southwest is now experimenting with ancillary-revenue programs through things like buying into Group A, etc.
It depends on the flight... SWA's strength remains low-cost, last-minute fares. SWA doesn't reward you for planning ahead like other airlines does, but they really shine when you're buying less than seven days in advance.
If the flights are still available. I usually end up booking on United (for an SFO -> somewhere east of the Mississippi flight) if I have to do something last-minute, because I can often still get direct or 1-stop flights to my destination, while Southwest will often have only 2-stop+ ones that take 12 hours and cost more.
I find that very often United fares are lower than Southwest anyway. Perhaps it's because SFO is their hub.
Virgin is another surprise - a couple times I've ended up getting SFO -> BOS or SFO -> JFK flights that are cheaper than anything else on Virgin America, even though it's supposedly a "premium" airline. I think they may be offering specials to build up repeat customers on the route, though.
But it is interesting to note that Southwest's "low-cost" reputation is, at this point, mostly based on memory and advertising, not reality.
Southwest often isn't the lowest fare on a given itinerary anymore, for example, and airports where Southwest is the dominant carrier are also, mostly, those which have seen the largest fare increases over the past decade.
And that's without getting into the fact that Southwest is now experimenting with ancillary-revenue programs through things like buying into Group A, etc.