Can't. Stop. Checking. The. Rates.

Call it dedication.

Call it frugality.

Call it obsessed.

Whatever it is I can't stop logging into the Southwest Airlines website to see if my flight fares have been reduced at all.  As a general rule of thumb, I was anti-Southwest.  Maybe it was the cramped seats.  Perhaps it was the reality-type show they elected to do that portrayed their customers as a bunch of drunks (who's bright idea was that show anyway?).

Regardless, we boycotted them for awhile.  That was until we got the Golden Ticket.  The Golden Ticket of which I speak is my son...aka my preboarding benefit.

Having a child under the age of five qualifies you for boarding the plane ahead of the masses of people who are milling around the gate filled with anxiety about which unassigned seat their butt will be in at 30,000 feet.  Having a child provides you with additional elbow space and bum room.

An added bonus to flying Southwest is that they tend to fly out of smaller airports.  This saves on parking and hassle.

If that wasn't enough to sell me on them then their flight change policy is.  It costs NOTHING to make changes to your flight.  This means you can cancel the flight or switch it to another time and you will receive a credit for the amount you paid to be used on a future flight.  This also means that if they lower the fare after you buy it then you can get a credit for the difference.

I know I mentioned this before.  However, the first time I changed to the lower fare it was in the wee hours of the morning.  I called the 800 # and since their system was down for nightly maintenance it seemed a bit more complicated than it is.  Not hard, but more complicated than the uber-simple way to do it online.

When you go to the main page there is an option to change your flight.  If the price drops just click on this.  It will give you simple prompts and then pull up new flight times for you to choose.  The bonus is that it automatically shows the flight you booked so you simply have to give it another click or two and you are done.  Your confirmation # stays the same.  The only difference is that you now have a nice little credit added underneath your info.  So simple!

And now since the only thing I love more than getting a money saving is giving a money saving tip I will pass along a tidbit that can help those of you with itty-bitties in tow.

Southwest encourages folks to book two seats if they don't think their body will take up just one.  However, if the flight is not sold out then they will refund you (actual refund and not a credit to another flight) for the extra seat.  So if you are flying with a child under the age of 2 and plan to book him/her a seat then I suggest doing it in your name as an extra seat vs a seat for the baby.  The reason being that children under the age of 2 are allowed to fly for free.  We always paid for a seat for my son because we wanted to bring his carseat on the plane.  Foolishly we paid for a seat for him.  Had we booked my husband 1 seat and myself 2 then we could have requested a refund for that extra seat since the flights were never full.

Live and learn.