The Details
- Flight: WN2156
- Aircraft: B737-800
- Class: Economy
- Seat: 2A
- Route: Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX)-Indianapolis (IND)
- Distance: 1,558miles
- Flight Time: 2hrs 54min
- Departure: 8:20PM (MST)
- Arrival: 2:24AM (EST)
The Preflight
After arriving in Phoenix from San Diego, I had an hour layover in PHX. Since I had not eaten anything substantial, I opted to try out the food in The Escape Lounge. Located in Terminal 4 near the B gates, it was about a six-minute walk from gate C4 where I deplaned. The Escape Lounge shares the same entrance as the American Express Centurion Lounge.
Access was available to me thanks to my American Express Platinum Card. Cardholders can opt to enter either the Centurion Lounge or the Escape Lounge. The friendly lounge agent scanned my boarding pass and I was allowed in without having to wait.
Immediately upon entering the lounge was a small eating area with a variety of sofas and chairs.
Behind the front seating area was the bar which was incredibly crowded. There was a long line to order alcoholic beverages.
There was a tasty buffet available in the middle of the lounge.
Options included Mexican rice, seared fish filet, Moroccan chicken, couscous, and fried Mac and Cheese balls.
There were also cold-cut sandwiches, cake, salad, egg salad, and fruit salad.
Dessert choices included cake as well as cookies.
I made my way to the gate about 20 minutes prior to our scheduled boarding time. Our B737-800, registration N8639B, was a seven-year-old aircraft delivered to Southwest back in July 2014.
I purchased an EarlyBird check-in and received position A43 for boarding. Boarding began on time at 7:31PM.
The Flight
Southwest offers a total of 175 economy class seats in a single cabin on board their B737-800s arranged in a 3-3 configuration. The Collins manufacturer slimline seats were each 17.6″ wide with 32″ of pitch.
I managed to score the very first seat in the cabin, 2A, which was the bulkhead seat. I found the legroom to be comfortable.
The seat featured a simple bi-fold tray table stowed in the armrest. Unfortunately, Southwest does not offer in-seat power on their flights.
The boarding doors were closed at 8:04PM and we pushed back two minutes later. Our taxi to runway 7L took 15 minutes.
Thirty minutes after take-off the flight attendants came through the cabin with a beverage service. I decided to order a Wild Turkey bourbon with Diet Coke. The generous flight attendant comped the drink with a smile and wink. Southwest pretzel bags were also passed out.
For the rest of the flight, I browsed the in-flight entertainment system which I streamed on my iPhone.
At the front of the cabin was a single standard lavatory. Luckily, it remained clean for the majority of the flight.
We landed in Indy at 2:24AM, thirty minutes ahead of schedule, and quickly taxied to gate B24.
I had a very pleasant flight with Southwest for a mid-continental route. The friendly service and complimentary drink made the flight more enjoyable. I just wish they would add in-seat power for a more comprehensive service.
