Is Southwest A Better Alternative To Delta?

This page will help you sort through the various options when it comes to choosing a flight. It will also give you helpful hints and tips on how to get the most out of your trip.

Can Delta and Southwest Airlines even be considered competitors? Both carriers are known for their impeccable customer service and innovative approach to air travel.

Back then, Southwest was typically regarded as a low-cost carrier that targeted certain customers. These days, it is more of a thing that they compete against the likes of Delta, United, and American.

Delta vs. Southwest: a comparison of the two airlines

These two airlines have plenty of similarities, but they also have plenty of differences. In terms of customer satisfaction, they are both highly ranked.

Both Delta and Southwest have international routes that can serve over 50 countries. On the other hand, Southwest has a smaller international market with destinations in Central and South America.

Delta offers first and premium economy seats on international routes. On the other hand, Southwest only has economy seats on its short-haul international flights.

Delta has a large network of international partners. Southwest is not part of any of the alliances or joint ventures.

Southwest has an open seating policy, where passengers can select any seat they want as they walk onto the plane.

Southwest is the only US airline that doesn't charge extra fees for checked bags.

Both Delta and Southwest are focused on being airlines that cater to everyone. While Delta offers a variety of options, Southwest is more focused on providing a consistent and low price.

With the emergence of low-cost carriers such as Frontier and Spirit, Southwest is no longer the cheapest option for many people.

I was so desperate to find some similarities between Delta and Southwest that I almost wrote a bullet point about how their airplanes have windows.

Both Delta and Southwest have a long and established history in the US. If you're looking for an interesting history lesson, I highly suggest checking out both airlines' Wikipedia pages.

Delta was first established in 1925 as a crop dusting company known as Huff Dalands. It eventually became known as Delta Air Service.

Delta initially started with operations in the southeast US. By 1970, they had an all-jet fleet.

Not only did Delta not start as a crop dusting operation, but it also didn't have a lot of employees back then.

It's hard to imagine looking at another 737 without imagining how Herb slashing and cropdusting Rollin would look like.

Herb and Rollin founded Southwest Airlines under the name Air Southwest Co. Their low fares caused Delta and other airlines to sue them.

In-flight experiences are also the most challenging part of the Delta vs Southwest comparison. With a variety of fares and seat types, Delta's Basic Economy will compare favorably with Southwest's.

Aside from first and premium economy, Southwest also offers various other perks, such as free Wi-Fi and in-flight meals.

Since Delta has a variety of seat types on almost all of its planes, I won't be comparing a Delta first class seat to a Southwest Airlines economy seat.

Delta has been on a major revamping of their interiors over the past couple of years. While they're not exactly replicating Southwest's offerings, they're trying to get there.

It used to be that you would get the same experience in an airplane type vs another, but that has changed. In Delta's 757-300, the seats are exactly like those found in the A321.

The standard economy seat of Delta is pretty nice. It features a large screen, plenty of TV shows and videos, and it's also equipped with music.

Southwest Airlines economy vs. Delta Air Lines economy

The seats are also very comfortable, though I couldn't help but notice that they were a bit more grippy than those of other airlines.

The Delta economy seat is equipped with plenty of video screens. However, as with many newer aircraft types, these screens are not as good as some of the newer ones.

Although it's not as fancy as Delta's economy seat, Southwest's is still pretty comfortable. One other thing that's not so good about Delta's economy is that they do not have personal video screens.

Economy seats on Southwest vs. Delta

Both Delta and Southwest offer in-flight entertainment, but Delta is far more generous with its offerings.

It's not always a given that you'll get upgraded seats on Southwest. They always seem to be in a perpetual state of improvement.

Legroom on Southwest Airlines is good. There's plenty of room for me to carry my carryon bag and all the other weird stuff I put inside it.

One of the biggest problems with Southwest is that their seats are often inconsistent across their fleet. These new seats are great, but they also have some issues with leg room.

Delta has a brand called Delta Studio, which features hundreds of TV shows and movies on demand. WiFi is also available on some of their aircraft.

It's also not that I approve of getting hammered on in-flight entertainment systems, but they still seem to encourage it.

Both Delta and Southwest have movie and TV shows on demand. However, these are only available through a streaming service, and you can only access them through your personal device.

Compared to Southwest's food, Delta's is simply not as good. They have an extensive menu that can be purchased for an exorbitant amount.

Southwest has a good drink menu, but they don't offer much in terms of food.

Delta has a similar in-flight beverage program. However, alcohol is not free of course. If you're traveling for 3 hours, then maybe not.

Delta will also be happy to serve you an extremely costly and not-so-appetizing snack. However, I would caution against spending lavishly on something that's going to cause you to die of hunger.

Perception, reality, and reality

The Boeing 737 Max has been grounded worldwide after two fatal crashes. These incidents were caused by faulty software.

The loss of life is most important to everyone, especially the families of the victims. But, the actions of the airlines after the disasters also affected the industry.

Southwest is the largest US customer of Boeing's aircraft fleet. Out of the company's 750 planes, 34 are used.

The impact of the 737 Max's grounding is starting to show up in the second quarter's financial reports.

The aircraft's design and even its name will eventually fade away from view. Many passengers will still want to fly with the plane.

Delta is emerging as the clear winner from the controversy. Southwest, on the other hand, is feeling the pain.

Kamrun's Blog