Southwest Airlines is a budget airline in the United States, offering domestic and international flights to destinations across North America. Being a budget airline, Southwest Airlines is primarily targeted towards leisure travelers, but has implemented a four-tier ticketing system in an attempt to segment the market.

The four ticket types are as follows: "Wanna Get Away", "Wanna Get Away+", "Anytime" and "Business Select" - they each offer something different. However, all four tickets include two free checked-in bags, which is a unique service offered by Southwest Airlines. In this guide, we will discuss the differences between these four ticket types, and what you should consider when deciding which is the most appropriate for you.

Wanna Get Away

Wanna Get Away is Southwest's most basic ticket type, and is similar to the "Basic Economy" offering of most full-service carriers such as United (except for the two free checked-in bags, which Southwest offers but is generally not the norm across the aviation industry).

While the ticket is non-refundable, Southwest does provide flight credits for those who cancel their ticket. However, while most airlines charge fees for passengers to change or cancel their tickets, Southwest does not. This means passengers are able to change their date or time of travel without incurring any additional costs.

Wanna Get Away +

Similar to Wanna Get Away, Wanna Get Away+ is predominantly targeted towards leisure travelers. In addition to the amenities offered by Wanna Get Away, the ticket type Wanna Get Away+ also allows travelers to be on a standby list for earlier flights. For example, rather than taking flight 1090 from Dallas-Love Field (DAL) to Chicago-Midway (MDW), leaving at 20:30, passengers can opt to put themselves on the standby list for flight 2157, which leaves at 18:50 instead.

Aside from being able to make use of the standby list, Southwest also permits passengers to transfer any flight credit they may have accrued to other Rapid Rewards members. Wanna Get Away+ ticket holders are entitled to 8 Rapid Rewards points per dollar spent, which is 2 points per dollar more than Wanna Get Away ticket holders.

Anytime

Anytime is Southwest Airlines' third ticket category and includes all amenities of the Wanna Get Away+ ticket type, as well as some additional ones, such as the fact that this ticket type is refundable, meaning passengers can receive 100% of their ticket price as long as the ticket is refunded more than 10 minutes before the scheduled departure time of the flight. Another benefit to the Anytime ticket is access to "EarlyBird Check In" and Priority lanes at the airport. This ticket type may be more appropriate for those who are traveling for business, as it gives passengers more flexibility and an expedited service which may be useful.

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Business Select

Business Select is Southwest's most premium ticket type. While the ticket type has the name "Business", there is no separate cabin or seat for passengers who have purchased this ticket type. Instead, the Business Select ticket allows passengers to board earlier, and to therefore choose their seats before other passengers do (as per Southwest's boarding process). On flights of over 176 miles, passengers who have purchased a Business Select ticket are entitled to a complimentary drink on their flight.

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  Southwest Airlines

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  WN/SWA

  Airline Type:

  Low-Cost Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Dallas Love Field, Denver International Airport, Harry Reid International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Houston Hobby Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Midway International Airport, Oakland International Airport, Orlando International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

  Year Founded:

  1967

  CEO:

  Robert Jordan

  Country:

  United States