Background
I recently did a review on UA's SFO-IAH service (here); this report will be a good comparison with WN's SJC-HOU service.
This trip was booked ~3 weeks out and as I previously discussed the Bay Area to Houston market is monopolized by UA with 9x daily service SFO-IAH and 1x daily service SJC-IAH. WN's market share is significantly smaller, only operating 2-3x daily service from OAK/SJC-HOU. When picking flights, we were weighing a number of factors: airport distance (IAH vs. HOU and SFO vs. SJC), airport parking, departure times, underseat storage, etc. SJC is slightly farther, but parking is significantly cheaper and is more convenient to get in/out of due to its smaller size. Similarly, HOU is significantly smaller and more convenient than IAH (unless you need to be in northern Houston). WN offers free bags and SJC has a Priority Pass lounge that is better than any SFO UA Club, so our *G benefits didn't really enter consideration. The only thing going for UA is mileage earnings, which given the large fare difference was not deemed worthwhile. Furthermore, UA would have required paying $150/person more for EconomyPlus seats to ensure we would sit together, whereas WN's free board would guarantee us this at no cost with their family boarding. Some might say the cost of the EconomyPlus is partially offset by the extra legroom, but WN has 32-33" pitch at no cost. Finally, since we were going to have to take our dog, WN holds an advantage with their cheaper pet fee ($95 vs. $125) and the fact that their fleet has no IFE so the underseat storage is maximized. Considering all of these factors, picking WN ex-SJC was a no-brainer.
routing
Our routing is thus very simple:
Flight routing
- 1WN 3338, SJC-HOU, Boeing B737-800, Economy
- 2
pre-flight
We arrived at SJC Terminal B via the parking shuttle bus at 7:10 for our 8:20 departure so it was quite a rush to get airside so there will be a dearth of photos landside. Two days before Christmas, it was exactly as one would expect: >100 people in the full service lines and >100 people queued up for the bag drop. Fortunately, there were several free kiosks and the bag drop line proceeded very quickly. We were helped in less than 10 minutes since WN had ~15 counters open and looked well prepared for the holiday rush landside (airside, not so much). Since we were traveling with our dog, we had to pay the pet fee, which the friendly agent happily handled at the bag drop despite being a full service item. With TSA PreCheck, there were 2 lines open and only ~4 people ahead of us so we cleared within minutes. The TSA agents were very friendly, even providing stickers for our son.
We were airside at 7:28. so completed check-in and security in less than 20 minutes, which is a feat that would not be done at SFO. Security deposited us in front of Gate 26 and our plane was scheduled to depart from Gate 27 so only a short walk to the left.
Winter weather on the East Coast was wreaking havoc on flights in the US and we were still affected despite being on the West Coast. Our plane was originally supposed to be operated by a B737-700 arriving from SEA, but that flight was cancelled since the inbound aircraft never arrived into SEA the previous night. So instead, we were put on a B737-800 that was stranded in SJC having been unable to make the flight to TUL the night before.
As we arrived at Gate 27, our plane was being tugged into the gate for catering and refueling.
Since we only had ~15 minutes before boarding, we didn't think we would have time to walk all the way down to the lounge in Terminal A so we opted to just wander around the gate area to kill some time.
SJC's Terminal B is the home of WN and AS. BA and ZG are the other occasional visitors to this side of the airport. The terminal itself is clean and modern with nice vaulted ceilings.
Ads for ZG's new SJC-NRT service.
FIDS showing the morning departures dominated by WN and AS with the stray AA/DL service into Silicon Valley. I have no idea why the right monitor was stuck in a time warp at 2:23am…
flight
Southwest Airlines, WN 3338
Equipment: Boeing 737-800 [N8575Z, delivered May 2018]
Departure: 08:20 (ATD: 09:26)
Arrival: 14:00 (ATA: 14:33)
Flight Time: 3:07
Boarding started at 7:50 with the standard WN boarding regiment. But then abruptly stopped after ~5 passengers. The gate agent went running down the jetbridge to talk with the crew before returning to announce that the plane wasn't ready yet. We waited another 10 minutes before we were allowed to resume boarding. We did the family boarding after A groups. Their family boarding is quite generous including children up to the age of 10^^
The mandatory 1L shot.
It was a very warm greeting from our friendly DAL based crew.
We made our way back and took Row 13 and took the DEF seats, which was the first available row during the free board. A picture of Row 10 during the deplane in HOU. Note that the armrests fold completely 90 degrees.
The seat pitch is good at 32-33" with a Y175 configuration on this B738 and the seats were quite comfortable with good padding. They are definitely more comfortable than UA's Y seats and I didn't notice any discomfort in this seat for the ~4 hours I sat there. There were no IFE boxes under the seats so plenty of space for storage. The only issue, which is not negligible given long flights is the complete absence of charging options. There are no AC or USB charging ports so you better come fully charged, especially if you want to stream.
The seatback is basic and contains a menu, barf bag, and safety card.
Safety card on this B738.
View of the cabin during boarding. This plane is a newer B738 and has the BSI.
Boarding completed quickly and we looked set to depart on time… Except we were left sitting there in the warm cabin waiting for the front door to close. A look out the window at our split scimitar winglet and neighbor as the sun breaks through the morning haze.
A fuel truck showed back up to top us off and we still haven't closed the cabin doors. With strong tailwinds eastbound, I'm not sure why additional fuel was needed.
Finally at 8:28, the captain comes on and announces that we don't have a first officer. We need to wait ~30 minutes for a pilot to arrive.
With plenty of time to kill as the sun continues to warm up the cabin, a look at the overhead vents for F-OITN.
Our neighbor does the Manneken Pis.
Finally at 8:41, the captain comes on and tells us that the pilot just landed a couple gates down and will be making his way to our plane. The pilot also says that he will be starting up one of the engines in order to start the air conditioning since passengers were probably complaining about how hot the cabin had become baking in the sun on an unseasonably warm day in the Bay Area. The first officer finally boards at 8:54 and the front door closes at 9:05 for an almost 1 hour delay on the ground.
Once the doors were closed, the safety demonstration was done by the crew and we did a push back at 9:14 after our neighbor cleared the jetway.
We taxi down to Runway 30R for the standard departure north as a WN B737-700 lands.
Aligning onto Runway 30R.
And away we go…
After breaking through the haze, we do our sharp u-turn to the right to avoid the traffic heading into SFO as we pass over the Salt Ponds.
No shortage of smog today in South Bay, but SJC is visible.
We soon can see Monterey Bay as we rise up along the 101 along our southern trek towards LA.
A hazy peek at Monterey.
We continue our run down the Southern Coast Ranges with just a little snow dotting the tops after the heavy storms the week before. The Sierra Nevada Mountains on the other side were much whiter.
The captain came on and announced the service would be delayed for 45-60 minutes due to strong turbulence east of LA as we passed through Arizona. The seat belt sign was turned off briefly, so I went back to the rear lavatory. The very modern galley on this new B738.
The bathroom was not as spacious as the galley and would likely be a very snug fit for most passengers.
Cabin view as I make my way back to my seat.
The WiFi is available immediately. WN's BYOD streaming is very good and they have an excellent moving map. What they lack for IFE, they make up with streaming services with a good mix of live TV and movies/TV/music. The WiFi is $8 for a day pass (free if WN A-List), which is very cheap and like other carriers, they offer free SMS services. There were >100 movies and >20 TV series available.
In addition to the IFE, the moving map is quite substantial with several view options and the ability to zoom down to street level and also get information on tourist sites.
After ~1 hour of heavy turbulence across southern California and Arizona, we finally entered clear air as we approached El Paso.
The cabin crew were released to start service and quickly passed through handing out snacks. No options available, just our 20g of snack mix.
Drink orders were taken, but then service was suspended again due to another patch of turbulence. The drink menu showing complementary and paid offerings. Flying on Halloween will net you a free alcoholic drink. Another point to note is the absence of a BOB menu, which again can be problematic on longer flights like this that bridge a meal time.
Drinks are finally handed out by tray as we approach Fort Stockton.
Since we took the southern route, there is not much to see from the windows except for the vast desert and rolling hills of west Texas.
We start our final descent east of San Antonio as the scenery starts to turn greener as we approach the more fertile part of eastern Texas.
We approached Houston from the southwest offering a glimpse of the WA Parish Generating Station on Smithers Lake, which as a mixed gas/coal plant is the 2nd largest power generator in the US.
We approached the Sam Houston Tollway before making our hard turn southeast towards Pearland.
The Beltway/288 interchange with the sun bouncing off the abundance of lakes.
We did another u-turn to align for approach from the southeast. The Gulf of Mexico is now visible in the horizon beneath all of the smoke.
Final into Runway 31 as the smoke billows from the fire aboard a tanker ship on the Ship Channel over in Deer Park. Hopefully not cutting too deep into the record profits of the oil industry.
Aerial of Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base in the foreground, which is a civilian airport nowadays, but really only used by NASA for astronaut training and the occasional airshow.
We touch down smoothly 30 minutes behind schedule and have a short taxi back to the terminal.
Yes, HOU is WN country with only a handful of other visitors throughout the day.
We pull into Gate 4, which is in the new concourse built to receive international flights from Mexico and Central America. We stop short offering a glimpse of WN old and new.
We inch forward and are on stand ~40 minutes late.
A peek into the cockpit as we are thanked by the crew.
A last look at N8575Z as we head into the terminal to go retrieve our bags.
I will leave off this series here as we start our stay in Houston.
flight information
Yikes, WN over Christmas time! Looks like this happened right before the huge meltdown! Still delayed but before WN cancelled like 90% of all flights with the crew scheduling and positioning débâclé. Totally embarrassing for them!
Oh? You don’t get free access to Y+ as *G? Or maybe only 24-48h before departure making it too late for a family?
I like flying in and out of SJC too. As you mentioned the Priority Pass lounges are among the best out there. It’s crazy that SIC has two PP lounges where humongous LAX no longer has any since Covid!
Although I’m generally not a fan of SWA, their newer cabins look nice and they, along with JetBlue keep low density configurations with 32-33” pitch which is fantastic compared to the 30-31” on the US3.
Luckily they’ll be rolling out new cabins with USB-A/C charging over the next few years.
WN offer a pretty decent streaming IFE service, as you note, so a bit surprised at the low rating for IFE, with streaming IFE being the norm on domestic flights anymore. And then you still have the ULCCs NK/F9/SY that don’t offer any IFE at all or even Wi-Fi (except NK). WN’s WiFi pricing is also decent. Certainly better than AA.
It is a shame they don’t offer any food for purchase on board on these longer domestic flights. I remember they used to offer more substantial snack boxes for free on longer flights. There were several packages snacks and something like a slim Jim’s. I don’t think they’re doing that anymore.
Hope you didn’t get caught up in the SWA meltdown shenanigans on the return? Or maybe you did and that’s why it says the return flight is unavailable ?
Thanks for sharing!
Nope, UA no longer gives these seats to *G and they don't even give free access to "preferred" seats. The only way to get get these seats is to open your wallet or buy a Basic Economy ticket and get it for free during the seat allotment process. UA offers almost no benefit to *G other than those mandated by the alliance. When we booked, there were no open set of 3 seats left, only middle seats in the complimentary seating zone. UA is bottom of the barrel.
For a domestic carrier, I consider half the score BYOD/WiFi and half the score connectivity. WN gets 5/5 for their WiFi and BYOD, but 0/5 for connectivity. If you can't power your phone, how can you stream anything?
LOL, that would definitely bring it up to 9/10. Since they do the tray distribution of drinks, your chance of getting a full can is very low unless you go to the galley and ask for it.
We waited long enough not to be affected, I can post the return if I have time. It will be a good look at their stopover service since we did HOU-AUS-SJC so I had plenty of time to take cabin shots on the ground in AUS.
Thanks for stopping by Kevin!
Thanks for sharing this experience with us. Really liked the comprehensive presentation of the SWA product. I really want to try thta airline on one of my next trip in the US. They have a very generous policy with comfy seating and bulk luggage included. What about their carry on policy? I see your bag under the seat in front of you... madatory rule or just because overhead bins were already full? I hate not beeing able to strech my legs under the seat in front of me and that's the reason why I NEVER take a bulhead ;) The online IFE seem one of the best in the US, really surprised that they don't offer in seat chargin options on such a new cabin. Nobody's perfect... inlc SWA :))) Thanks again for sharing.
Same as any full service carrier: one personal item (purse/backpack) and one carry-on suitcase. In addition to the free 2x23kg checked luggage.
That was our dog, I don't think he would have liked being shoved into the overhead bin^^ There was plenty of overhead space, no one was forced to gate check bags. At 182cm, I can cross my legs comfortably so the pitch is good. Also, the exit row is usually not cherry picked so anyone before B30 has an excellent chance of getting the extra legroom if needed.
Thanks for stopping by Vincent!
Hi Michael and thanks for sharing this great WN trip.
You were lucky to fly before the WN IT meltdown that led to so many cancellations days around Christmas.
Glad your copilot made it to the plane, even if you were baking in the cabin.
The WN Galleys are indeed spacious since they don't use trolleys (or maybe just waste trolleys) and do not need units or drawers. It makes them look pretty cool.
I loved the Manekenpiss 737 ^^
A bientôt !
Our 1 hour delay was a drop in the water relative to the rest of the country. WN at least tried hard to make amends with generous vouchers and 25,000 mileage gifts to affected passengers. WN is one of the few airlines that has rarely strayed from its original identity, their service remains unchanged from what I remember from pre-2000.
Mid-flight, they leave them all open so it looks like a bar. You just go back and ask for anything you want outside of the service window.
Thanks for stopping by Stephan!