Home > Southwest > 2006 > Review

Taken 20 July 2006 from Las Vegas, NV (McCarran International Airport) - LAS to Baltimore, MD (Baltimore/Washington International Airport) - BWI

I fly on Southwest frequently, but usually short flights (<1.5 hr) and have had mixed results on longer flights in the past so I approached this nonstop LAS-BWI which is almost 5 hours with some trepidation. The 737-700 was completely full on the outbound flight, but the cabin crew was cheerful and attentive and I was impressed that they made a full pass through the cabin at least once an hour offering drinks and refills, collecting trash and generally making sure passengers were as comfortable as possible. The flight was smooth throughout and spot on time for departure and arrival.

The return flight BWI-LAS was not as pleasant due mainly to an air traffic ground hold for 50 minutes at BWI after we left the gate, but we were kept informed as to the reasons and status from the flight deck, and half the delay was made up in flight. This flight was also full, but with a lot of fussy children (the ground hold didn't help) and adults who constantly ignored simple directions like don't line up at the forward lavatory and don't wander around during turbulence when the seat belt light is on (the last two hours were moderately rough), but the crew did an admirable job of managing the situation, and were generally as attentive as on the outbound flight.

Snack service was spartan as always with a snack box of cookies and dried fruit, but unlimited non-alcoholic drinks and we were offered a free beer or mixed drink on the return flight because of the delay which was not the airline's fault. The no meal policy was also announced before boarding at BWI so passengers could buy a meal at the terminal to take with them if they wanted.

I was generally pleased and thought Southwest did a good job under the circumstances, but as always with SWA you need to know what to expect and how their system works if you want your preferred seat (get your boarding pass on line early) and not go hungry.