So today I’m flying with Southwest on two very different flights. The first one is an extremely short, GSP-ATL hop on a 737-800. The second is a much longer ATL-LAS flight on a 737 Max 8. Interestingly(kinda) the Southwest 737-800 and Max 8 are configured in the same way, and honestly, from the inside, you’d have a really hard time telling the two apart. I’m looking forward to flying them back to back and trying to find any differences.
Southwest Airlines does a lot of point to point flying and is one of the few US airlines that still does direct flights that still stop. The GSP-ATL flight is the middle leg on a flight from BDL(Hartford CT) to SAT(San Antonio TX). The total routing is BDL-BWI-GSP-ATL-SAT, some of those legs use the same crew, others do not. The GSP-ATL route, at 153 miles, is the 5th shortest route in the Southwest network.
Bottom Line: I like riding on Southwest’s 737-800. They are relatively new and, for an all economy airline, relatively comfortable. The economy seats are more roomy than you’d expect. Unfortunately on this short flight, there’s no drink or snack service. Let’s get into this review.
In This Trip
GSP Airport
We arrived at GSP about an hour before our Southwest flight was scheduled to depart. GSP is an easy airport to navigate and we headed towards security. There was no one in the Precheck line so we skipped Clear.
At the gate, our Southwest 737-800 was waiting to take us down to Atlanta. I’m glad that Southwest has increased it’s presence here in Greenville.
Southwest Airlines 737-800 Boarding
Today we’re in the A boarding group. Southwest does boarding a little differently, there are no assigned seats, it’s first come first served based on check in time. So you want to check in as early as possible. We ended up at the end of the A boarding group, that’s pretty good and insures that we’ll get a good seat.
We boarded right on time. I’m also getting the feeling that this flight is very empty, there just aren’t that many people at the gate.
Southwest is first come first serve on seats. I almost sat here in row 1 on the right hand side of the plane. But I’m not a huge fan of bulk heads and I figured if I sit farther back, I have a better chance of not getting a seat neighbor.
Perfect, I’m about 8 rows back, in an empty row. Val took the window seat and I jumped into the aisle.
We stowed our bags overhead and put our back packs under the seats in-front of us. Southwest tends to have plenty of overhead space as checked bags are free.
Southwest Airlines 737-800 Seat Review
The leg room on the Southwest 737-800 is good, very good in fact for economy. Every seat on the Southwest 737 is the same(except for the bulk head and exit rows), so really when you choose a seat, the best seat is the one with no neighbor.
On this flight to ATL, that was easy, the flight attendants told us there would be more than 70 empty seats so pretty much everyone will have an empty middle seat.
No in-seat entertainment on Southwest. There’s also no in seat power to charge devices, but this is changing soon.
It was pretty warm on the plane, it’s been a hot summer. The overhead vents on the modern 737 are terrible, they just don’t put out enough air. This is common to the 738 and the 737Max8.
Southwest Airlines 737-800 Push Back and Takeoff
Outside it was a great day to fly, few clouds and no wind. We pushed back from the gate a few minutes early, the flight is pretty empty and we boarded quickly.
We taxied to the end of the runway and the pilot told us we’d have to wait here for a few minutes due to traffic flow into ATL. This is really common from GSP regardless of airline, happens to Delta and Southwest all the time. Not a big deal, the flight is short and the gate to gate time accounts for this.
About 10 minutes later we started up the second engine and took off towards the South West.
Southwest Airlines 737-800 In Flight (Short Trip)
On our trip down to Atlanta we got a great view of the lakes to the West of Greenville. The 737-800 is a pretty comfortable ride, it’s a smooth day to fly anyway.
In flight was very quiet, this is a really short flight so there’s no cabin service today. The flight attendants didn’t really get up or move around and the seat belt sign was left on for the whole flight.
No drinks or snacks were given on this short flight. Just about 10 minutes after take off, the pilot came on and told us we’d be landing in about 15 minutes and then asked the flight attendants to prepare for arrival.
Southwest Airlines 737-800 Landing ATL
As we headed towards Atlanta we got to see the very similar weather that ATL has to GSP. Not a surprise, it’s 150 miles.
At this point I’m looking at my watch and I’m hopeful that we can get onto an earlier flight to Las Vegas. We’re looking to be nearly 20 minutes early.
On the ground here in ATL after our 28 minute 153 mile flight.
Southwest Airlines 737-800 Short Flight Final Thoughts
Southwest continues to impress me as an airline. I’m strongly considering shifting more of my work travel to them, mostly due to their increased presence at my home GSP airport. The flights are pleasant, you knon what you’re getting, and the 737 is a comfortable enough plane. I like the A321 better, but Southwest’s 737s are more comfortable than others, even in economy.
The 737-800 is a good ride. It and the 737 Max 8(Review Here) are my favorites in the Southwest fleet. I really cannot tell the difference between the two as a passenger. Sure, they have a different wiglet and the engines are a little different shaped, but on the inside, they are identical.
This is a short flight so there’s no service, but it’s ok, no one is doing an economy service between GSP and ATL. There’s also no in seat entertainment or power to charge devices, but the stream to your own device selection is pretty good. I’ll gladly ride on the Southwest 737-800 again and recommend it for these short flights.
Follow My Las Vegas Trip
Southwest 737-800 Flight Review
Southwest 737-8 Max Flight Review
MGM Grand Las Vegas Grand Room Review
MGM Grand Las Vegas Studio King Review
Travel Guide: Las Vegas Monorail
Resorts World Las Vegas Conrad Strip View Suite Review
United Airlines 737-800 Economy Review