All Welcome and Announcements posts

Community Champions- Nominations Open for Cycle 7!

LorrenT — Mon, 01 Feb 2021 20:37:45 GMT

Hello Southwest Community!

It’s that time again! If you love participating in our Southwest Community discussion forum and have a wealth of knowledge for “all things Southwest” we would LUV for you to consider joining our Southwest Community Champions Program!

The Community Champions are active leaders within the Southwest Community who receive recognition for their contributions.

What does a Community Champion do?

Answer questions
Author stories
Build meaningful relationships

What are the Community Champion benefits?

Special avatar for your Member profile
Southwest swag
Annual appreciation event
Other fun surprises!

Nominations are open beginning today, Monday February 1^st through Friday February 5^th. Check out our Southwest Community Champions page to learn more about the program. To nominate yourself, or someone who you think would be a great fit, submit your nomination by Friday, February 5^th for consideration.

Thanks,

@LorrenT and the Southwest Community Team

Private Message SPAM Issue

NicoleAshley — Thu, 13 Aug 2020 15:04:32 GMT

We are aware of a surge in SPAM sent privately to some of our Community Users last night, and we sincerely apologize to anyone impacted.

Please know this situation has been escalated with urgent priority. We are working to resolve as soon as possible and implementing measures to prevent similar messaging in the future.

If you received an unsolicited message, you can use the blue "Report" link within the message to escalate so we can ensure that user is addressed. We are actively banning these users as reports come in.

Community Champions- Nominations Open for Cycle 6!

LorrenT — Mon, 03 Aug 2020 15:18:17 GMT

Hello Southwest Community!

Do you love participating in our Southwest Community discussion forum? Are you a wealth of knowledge for “all things Southwest”? Do you love helping others? If you answered “yes” to all of these questions, then please consider joining our Southwest Community Champions Program! The program recognizes the contributions of our most active Community Members.

It's that time again- We are looking for leaders within the Southwest community to answer questions, author stories, and build meaningful relationships. What's in it for you? Our program “perks” include our annual appreciation event, Southwest swag, and a special avatar for your Member profile that let’s everyone know that you are a trusted voice within our community, and other surprises!

Nominations are open beginning today, Monday August 3 through Friday, August 7. Check out our Southwest Community Champions page to learn more about the program. To nominate yourself, or someone who you think would be a great fit, submit your nomination by Friday, August 7 for consideration.

Thanks,

and the Southwest Community Team

COVID-19 Information

ksbrg — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 19:34:40 GMT

When you travel with Southwest, we have your well-being in mind. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we've made changes to our operations and procedures to better support the well-being and comfort of our Employees and Customers – and we’ll continue to evaluate our policies and procedures as we learn more.

We’ve employed stringent cleaning and physical-distancing practices such as using electrostatic and anti-microbial spray treatments in the cabin, implemented physical-distancing measures, required masks for Employees and Customers, and modified boarding procedures. Learn more about the Southwest Promise and what it means when you are ready to travel.

Find more information on traveling, including cancellations, travel funds, Rapid Rewards®, tier status, Companion Pass benefits, and more, in our Travel Knowledge Base.

Learn what you can expect when you arrive at the airport from Southwest's Managing Director of Customer Experience, Tony Roach:

Learn more about how our HEPA filtration system onboard keeps our cabin air clean, removing 99.97% of airborne particles (including viruses and bacteria):

Other questions and answers may be found in the Knowledge Base. Still not finding what you're looking for? Use the search bar at the top of this page or post in the Community Discussion Forums.

Although comments are turned off on this post, our Discussion Boards are open for Customer-to-Customer conversation.

Please remember, as a peer-to-peer support forum, Community members aren't equipped to assist with all issues. If you need assistance with a travel issue, please follow the instructions on Submitting a Suggestion and/or Complaint.

Re: February 2020 Website and App Updates

MarkHursh — Sat, 15 Feb 2020 20:59:43 GMT

Hi All,

I left one item out from my original post.

Starting on Feb 6, you can now edit your Known Traveler Number if already on your reservation on the desktop version of www.southwest.com.

You can use this in cases where TSA Precheck did not show as expected on your reservation. Just retype in your KTN and check-in again to see if that fixes the issue. If not, feel free to use the in-app chat for logged-in Customers with the app or call or email us. Precheck application is determined by the TSA so it may not always show even if you provides the correct KTN.

We are adding that feature to the mobile website and our apps in the next few months.

February 2020 Website and App Updates

MarkHursh — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 02:26:04 GMT

Hi Community Friends!

I'm continuing to test the waters to see if you all are interested in learning more about recent changes to our southwest.com and mobile apps.

If you find this helpful, please let me know by tapping the heart icon at the end of the post. Then we can consider posting this for each monthly update.

Here's all the changes we recently made this month to our websites and apps:

Changes to www.Southwest.com, mobile.Southwest.com and Mobile Apps

We pride ourselves on on delivering an excellent on-time performance as well as our low flight cancellation rates, but unfortunately sometimes flight disruptions do happen. Starting on Feb 10, we now provide you with Enhanced Self-Service Rebooking options if you encounter a flight cancellation and we have rebooked you on another flight. Now, if you have been rebooked on alternative flight, you will receive a text message or e-mail sent to your day of contact travel information on the reservation. In that message will be a link which will allow you to make a one-time change to the reservation, within a specified travel window, if you would like an alternative flight rather than the one you have been rebooked on.

Here is an in-depth look at how this will play out for our Customers:

First you will be notified that your flight has been cancelled via Day of Contact communication preference (text, email or phone call).
Once you have been reaccommodated by the system, you will receive a second notification with your new rebooked itinerary. This message will include a link to select an alternative flight if you so choose
Customers will have the ability to make a one-time, free of charge, change via Southwest.com or the Mobile app. This change allows modification of up to 14 days from the date of original travel. This eligibility duration is subject to change.
If you checked your baggage, you will be alerted that Southwest will make every attempt to reroute baggage based on the change, but Customers should see a Customer Service Agent for assistance if their bag does not arrive in their destination.

In addition to this change, our friendly Customer Support & Services Cohearts, accessible via in-app chat/e-mail/phone, can now make similar changes to rebooked itineraries even with checked baggage.

This is all in addition to how already we treat cancelled flights that have not yet been rebooked. In cases where a flight has been cancelled, but not yet automatically rebooked, Customers already have the option to select a new flight, within a specific travel window.

Please note, some itinerary types are not eligible for this option, such as reservations purchased via our Group Desk.

Changes to Mobile Web, iOS App, iPad OS Apps, and Android Apps (version 7.2)

On February 6th, we activated Multi-Passenger Mobile Boarding Passes systemwide. This will allow all Customers to access mobile boarding passes at mobile.southwest.com, our iOS app, and Android app.

Prior to this change, you could only receive a boarding pass for the logged in Customer on multi passenger reservations. That added friction to the checkin process and was one of our top Customer frustrations in our App Stores.

Now, for reservations with up to and including eight passengers, simply checkin and you will receive prompts to view and download passes for one or many Customers. We will first show a view pass screen for all Customers and then give you the option to download an Apple Wallet or Google Pay mobile boarding pass on supported devices. In our iOS app you can download them all in one simple tap.

If Customers are spaced out in the line, then a prompt will appear to remind Customers to board in their assigned order. The ability to grab passes for all Customers in mobile web should help greatly in this split line situation as you can access a pass even without the app.

You can learn more about this new enhancement in this Knowledge Base article.

A few other mobile updates:

We have added a digital feedback tool to our mobile apps. Look for it under the global nav. We'll be using this to better gauge your feedback on our experiences even more in the future.
We're testing enhancements to our shopping pages in our iOS apps. Not all Customers will see the tested experiences but if you see something new and different, that's why.

Changes to www.southwest.com Full Site Only - not yet on our mobile website

Starting on Feb 6, you can now edit your Known Traveler Number if already on your reservation on the desktop version of www.southwest.com.

You can use this in cases where TSA Precheck did not show as expected on your reservation. Just retype in your KTN and check-in again to see if that fixes the issue. If not, feel free to use the in-app chat for logged-in Customers with the app or call or email us. Precheck eligibility is determined by the TSA so it may not always show even if you provides the correct KTN.

We are adding that feature to the mobile website and our apps in the next few months.

Changes to our Inflight Portal

Our inflight entertainment has been refreshed for February 2020. Check out Kiran's post to learn more.

We’re also doing some optimization testing to the inflight portal homepage with copy and treatment of some elements. This helps us improve the experience for you.

Other recent changes

You can now lookup your unusued funds in your account. Starting December 3, 2019, if you include your Rapid Rewards number in your flight reservation, you will be able to view available travel funds from unused tickets, tickets cancelled in accordance with the No Show Policy, or tickets which have a residual balance.

Other things we are working on

We are adding an Unused Funds quick link to our mobile experiences in March. If you are on a mobile device you can bookmark this link to access it while on the go.

We're working to improve the e-mail us page to be more mobile friendly so it is even easier to reach out to a friendly Southwest Employee. Look for it to launch in the next few months.

We are aware of the desire to bring back an improved route map. We are currently scoping out those improvements.

We're also working on some fun new enhancements to our low fare calendar coming up soon.

Hope you all enjoy the new capabilities in our Digital expereinces. Please do let me know if you think this information is helpful. As always, thanks so much for your support of Southwest!

-Mark Hursh

Marketing Director of Digital Customer Platforms

Southwest Airlines

January 2020 Website & App Updates

MarkHursh — Thu, 13 Feb 2020 21:54:12 GMT

Hi Community Friends!

I'm testing the waters to see if you all are interested in learning more about recent changes to our southwest.com and mobile apps.

If you find this helpful, please let me know by tapping the heart icon at the end of the post. Then we can consider posting this for each monthly update.

Here's all the changes we recently made this month to our websites and apps:

Changes to our Full Website (www.southwest.com)

We will now automatically correct 1 and 0 to I and O when entering your confirmation to check-in. We added this as we do not use these numbers in our confirmation numbers, but sometimes it isn't straightforward to determine if it is a 0 (zero) or O.
The header in the Air and Car Shopping flow is no longer fixed to the top of your browser window. Now you should be able to see even more flights and cars when shopping.
Scheduled Aircraft Type now present on Trip Details on the Confirmation Page. As always, this is subject to change.
Scheduled Aircraft Type now present on the Manage Reservation/Reservation Details page. As always, this is subject to change.
Corrected a link in the Save to Calendar feature to point to the flight status page
Resolved an issue where the My Account Unused Funds page could sporadically display as blank

Changes to Mobile Web (mobile.southwest.com)

Added a Feedback button in the navigation to elicit Customer feedback on our website experience
Updated the Reservation Details to show current actual flight times on day of travel
Made some slight tweaks to the mobile boarding pass displays

Southwest iOS and iPadOS Apps (version 7.1)

Updated the Reservation Details to show current actual flight times on day of travel
Updated the mobile boarding pass flow to bring back the option to Add to Wallet instead of directly going into the Apple Wallet,
Updated iPad homepage image
Improved the points shopping displays of international taxes and fees
Push notifications will soon have an updated sound
Added some nice little haptics/vibrations to confirm when you have completed actions like a check-in or booking

Southwest Android App (version 7.1)

Updated the Reservation Details to show current actual flight times on day of travel
Added first name to tab for Android boarding passes to make it easier to find the right pass
Improved the points shopping displays of international taxes and fees
Push notifications now have an updated sound
Added some nice little haptics/vibrations to confirm when you have completed actions like a check-in or booking

Other recent changes

Our inflight entertainment has been refreshed for January 2020. Check out Kiran's post to learn more.

Other things we are working on

We have heard loud and clear that our multi-passenger mobile boarding pass experience is not ideal. We have good news, we are actively testing improvements to our multi-passenger mobile boarding passes with the new experience available on flights between eight test airports. Once testing is completed, we will share our full rollout plans.

We also are aware of the desire to bring back an improved route map. We are currently scoping out those improvements.

Hope you all enjoy the new capabilities in our Digital expereinces. Please do let me know if you think this information is helpful. As always, thanks so much for your support of Southwest!

-Mark Hursh

Marketing Director of Digital Customer Platforms

Southwest Airlines

Thank you for your feedback on our Digital Experiences in 2019!

MarkHursh — Tue, 31 Dec 2019 22:02:25 GMT

As we head into 2020, we wanted to personally thank you all for your support of our Southwest Digital experiences here on the Southwest Community. Your feedback on on our digital experiences, including southwest.com, our mobile apps, and our Inflight Entertainment and Wi-Fi, has been so helpful to our Cohearts who are constantly working to improve these experiences.

To show you how helpful your feedback has been, below is a listing of just some of the improvements we’ve launched across our Digital Customer experiences in 2019. This year we were able to launch so many great new capabilities for our Customers, including in-app chat, to better inflight games, to tracking unused funds and many more. Many of these improvements were prioritized based upon Customer feedback through the Southwest Community, our app store feedback, and internal research. This list shows how much your feedback matters and how we are working to constantly improve your Southwest travel experience. Plus, becuase of all your great feedback and support we earned J.D. Power’s No.1 Ranking for Southwest.com in customer satisfaction with airline travel websites.

Thank you so much for your engagement this year and wishing you all a fantastic 2020!

With LUV,

Mark Hursh, Director of Digital Customer Platforms, Marketing

Jim Jett, Sr. Director of Southwest.com and Mobile Apps, Technology

Tony Roach, Managing Director of Customer Experience

Improvements made to Southwest Digital Experiences in 2019

(Listed in order by most recent)

Dec 16, 2019 – Feedback Tool for our Websites and Apps

We activated a tool to better gauge your feedback on our websites and apps. We had great success improving our roadmaps by analyzing your feedback from the our Southwest app store reviews. Now, we have better technology in place to help us understand your feedback when using all of our digital experiences. Look for more targeted use of the “in the moment” feedback through our website, apps and inflight portal in 2020.

Dec 12, 2019 - Inflight Portal Assistance – Phase 2

We improved our southwest.com homepage while you’re inflight. Now, if you are connected to the SouthwestWiFi network and navigate to www.southwest.com instead of www.southwestwifi.com a special message will display to lead you back to our Inflight portal so you can watch our onboard content or use our onboard WiFi. This should help folks get back to enjoying our Free Inflight Movies*, Free Inflight App Messaging*, Free Inflight Live TV*, Free Inflight Games*, Free Inflight Music*, and more while onboard. We also have similar functionality available at mobile.southwest.com and in our iOS™ and Android™ Apps.

Dec 9, 2019 - Track and Display your Unused Funds in your Southwest Account

We launched a frequently requested feature to allow Customers to view a list of their unused travel funds directly in their Southwest Account at www.southwest.com. Funds that remain from a cancellation or change made after Dec 3, 2019, and included a Customer’s Rapid Rewards number, will automatically appear in your Southwest.com or SWABIZ.com account. Lookup your balance now.

Nov 8, 2019 - Mobile Lookup and Spend Travel Funds

The mobile website and apps were enhanced to allow Customers to lookup the current balance and spend funds from unused Southwest travel funds, vouchers and gift cards. Now, Customers can find and spend those funds across all Southwest digital storefronts enabling more self-service. This was one of our top app store suggestions.

Nov 1, 2019 – Full Inflight Movie Listing available on the Southwest Community

We started posting our full listing of Inflight movies on the Southwest Community. We are also actively working in 2020 to improve our main Inflight Entertainment & WiFi overview page on Southwest.com to provide the full inflight entertainment listing. Here’s our December 2019 post.

Oct 29, 2019 – Multi-passenger Mobile Boarding Passes

In late 2019 we began testing improvements to the multi-passenger experience by enabling all passengers to receive a boarding pass on their mobile devices. We have this now being tested on flights between six airports and have seen great success from the first 10,000 uses oft the feature. This new capability will resolve a top Customer complaint and enable additional self-service with full rollout planned for early 2020. Plus, it will help us be more efficient and more green by no longer requiring paper printed documents on these reservations.

Oct 11, 2019 – Free Inflight Messaging Support for Laptops

We brought our Free Inflight Messaging* service to desktop and laptop browsers so Customers can now use iMessage and WhatsApp on their Mac or Windows PCs. Simply connect to our inflight network, SouthwestWiFi, and activate Free Messaging after you go to the Inflight Portal. Note: Free Inflight Messaging service only allows access to iMessage and WhatsApp and the apps must be downloaded before connecting to the SouthwestWiFi network.

Oct 1, 2019 – Enhanced Free Inflight Games

We made our Free Inflight Games* available on the Inflight Entertainment Portal even better. They now work with mobile devices and we increased the game count from two to eight games. We’re still testing the right game mix and will be continuing to optimize the game selection in 2020. Available only on WiFi-enabled aircraft. Limited-time offer. Where available.

Sept 3, 2019 – Make Travel Funds Easier to Find on the Southwest.com Purchase Page

We heard from Customers calling into our reservations centers that it was difficult to apply travel funds on the purchase page on southwest.com. We made this section bolder and more visible to make it easier to find where to apply your travel funds.

Aug 5, 2019 – Drink Coupon Improvements to the Apple Wallet™ Mobile Boarding Passes

We heard from our Flight Crews and our Southwest Community friends that it was difficult for Customers who purchased Business Select to find their Drink Coupon when using the Apple Wallet mobile boarding pass. We moved the Drink Coupon “= YES” indicator to the front of the pass if you have purchased Business Select. Prior to this change it was located on the back of the pass which was cumbersome to discover. Now Customers can simply show that indicator to our Flight Attendants to receive their free inflight drink, where available.

Aug 1, 2019 – Inflight Portal Redesign

We heard from Customers that it was difficult to find our inflight entertainment offerings, including Free App Messaging*, Free Movies*, Free Live TV*, and our $8 WiFi day passes*, with our prior portal design. We embarked on a redesign effort to better promote these free offerings and also made the design easier to read in a dark cabin. This led to dramatically increased usage of our free offerings while inflight.

July 18, 2019 – Dynamic Mobile Boarding Passes

We heard complaints in the app store about gate and flight time information on the mobile boarding passes not always matching the displays in the airport. We improved the Apple Wallet and Google Pay mobile boarding passes so they dynamically update with the most recent flight boarding time, departure time and gate location. Now, changes to these times are automatically pushed to your Apple Wallet or Google Pay boarding passes.

July 1, 2019 – Apple Pay® for Air Tickets, EarlyBird and Inflight WiFi

We heard frustration that Customers on Apple devices couldn’t use their digital forms of payment stored in their Apple Wallet. We enabled Apple Pay for tickets, EarlyBird and Inflight WiFi* in our iOS app and Inflight Portal to make purchasing tickets even easier.

Mar 25, 2019 – Mobile Day of Travel Self Service

We received frustrations with the app store not being able to perform commonly used day-of travel activities in the mobile apps. We made our mobile apps easier to use to enable more self-service by allowing Customers to add and update Airport Special Assistance requests as well as add their Rapid Rewards Number, Known Traveler Number, Redress Number and International Travel information to bookings.

Feb 20, 2019 – Inflight Portal Assistant Phase 1

We heard from our Inflight Cohearts and Customers that connecting to our Inflight portal was sometimes confusing as it required knowing to type in www.southwestwifi.com after connecting to SouthwestWiFi. We activated technology that makes connecting to the Inflight Portal even easier. Now, after connecting to the SouthwestWiFi network, supported devices will show a helpful login page with a button to go directly to the Inflight Portal homepage. You no longer need to remember a special address. We saw dramatically improved take rates of our Inflight Portal after rolling out this new capability.

Feb 13, 2019 – PayPal® for Mobile Tickets and EarlyBird

We added PayPal to our mobile website and apps enabling usage of PayPal across all Southwest digital storefronts. Now you can use your PayPal wallet or PayPal credit to make purchases while on the go as well on Southwest.com.

Jan 23, 2019 – In-App Customer Service Chat

We heard from our Customers in the app stores and from post-call surveys that you wanted to be able to chat with us when you have a question. We activated that functionality for our logged in Customers using our iOS and Android app. This feature provides chat support for Past Trips, Upcoming Trips, Rapid Rewards and Policies and Procedures directly with Customer Support and Services representatives.

Thank you so much for your invaluable feedback. We hope you’ll continue to stay engaged with us here on the Southwest Community, as your feedback is what shapes our future Customer travel experiences.

Some additional love from our Cohearts in General Counsel...

* Free Inflight Movies and on-demand TV content requires the Southwest app to be downloaded from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store before your flight. Free Inflight Live TV and Free iHeartRadio Music may be restricted on international flights due to licensing restrictions Free Inflight Messaging service only allows access to iMessage and WhatsApp (must be downloaded before the flight). Available only on WiFi-enabled aircraft. Limited-time offer. Where available.

Community Champions- Nominations Open for Cycle 5!

LorrenT — Mon, 28 Oct 2019 21:08:26 GMT

Hello Southwest Community!

We are looking for leaders within the community to answer questions, author stories, and foster meaningful relationships. Program “perks” include our annual appreciation event, Southwest swag, and a special avatar for your Member profile that let’s everyone know that you are a trusted voice within our community.

Are you ready to be a “Champion”? Nominations are open beginning today, Monday October 28 through Friday, November 1. Check out our Southwest Community Champions page to learn more about the program and to nominate yourself, or someone who you think would be a great fit!

We look forward to continue growing our “Community-within-the-Community” and hope you would consider joining us! Submit your nomination form by Friday, November 1 for consideration.

Welcome to the Southwest Airlines Community!

LindseyD — Fri, 28 Jun 2019 18:52:10 GMT

Welcome to the Southwest Airlines Community!

We think you’ll like it here. The Southwest Airlines Community is full of people just like you, who enjoy low-cost travel and great Customer Service. This is where they tell their stories and share their knowledge, and we’re inviting you to join in.

Start here for an overview of the “Do’s and Don’ts” of Community etiquette. As Southwest Airlines President Emerita Colleen Barrett would say, “follow the Golden Rule – treat people the way you want to be treated, and pretty much everything will fall into place.”

There’s a lot of conversation happening over in the Discussion Forum, which means there’s also a lot of information to take in! But, we’ve got good news for you – these folks are trusted voices in our Community, and you can count on them to provide reliable information about Southwest Airlines and accurate solutions to your questions.

Looking for some reading material with Heart? Visit the Blog, where you’ll find stories about our business, Culture, and – most importantly – the Employees and Customers of Southwest Airlines.

If you’re looking for the answer to a question about flying Southwest Airlines, you’ll probably find it in our Knowledge Base, which contains a library of help content compiled by Customer and Employee experts.

Last but not least, we’d love to know a little more about YOU. You can add a short bio, upload a photo, and subscribe to your favorite threads by clicking on your avatar in the top right corner and navigating to the settings page. It’ll just take a second, and it will make a big difference in your experience.

You are now free to roam about the Community! Have fun, and happy traveling.

Community Champions - Nominations Open for Cycle 4!

LindseyD — Mon, 22 Apr 2019 19:42:55 GMT

Hello Southwest Community!

If you enjoy participating in the Southwest Community discussion forum, please consider joining our Community Champions Program!

Community Champions recognizes the contributions of our most active Community Members. Champions are leaders within the Community who answer questions, author stories, and foster meaningful relationships. If you're interested in nominating yourself or someone else, please submit a nomination form here.

Nominations are open beginning today, Monday, April 22 through Friday, April 26.

Check out this page for more information about Community Champions - the trusted Customer voices of the Southwest Community. We're looking for Members who have exhibited a positive tone and have a history of constructive comments in the discussion forum. Do you love writing blogs? We have a spot for you in the Community Champions Program too!

Perks of the program include an annual face-to-face gathering, the occasional swag bag, and a special avatar for your Member profile (just to name a few!). We've got a growing Community-within-the-Community, and we'd love for you to be part of it. Send your nomination form in by Friday, April 26 to be considered for our next round of Community Champions!

Welcome, New Community Champions!

LindseyD — Wed, 30 Jan 2019 19:16:32 GMT

Hello Southwest Community!

The Southwest Community Team is pleased to announce that we’ve got two more Community Members joining our Community Champions Program. If you’ve ever asked a question in the Community, you’ve probably interacted with one of our Champions. These folks are knowledgeable, passionate, and experienced travel enthusiasts who thrive on answering questions, sharing experiences, and fostering connections among our valued Community Members.

Please join us in congratulating our newest Champions:

We encourage you to get to know these Champions by checking out their Member Profiles! They have plenty of expertise and travel insights, and we are confident in their ability to share knowledge and advice for all of your upcoming Southwest travels.

If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a Community Champion, make sure to fill out a nomination form. We review nominations and add new Members to the program quarterly.

See you in the forums!

Lindsey

Community Manager

The Southwest Airlines Community

Southwest Community Champions Nominations Are Open!

LindseyD — Mon, 10 Dec 2018 23:34:43 GMT

Hello Southwest Community!

The final Community Champions nomination window of 2018 is now upon us. If you're interested in nominating yourself or another Community Member for the Community Champions Program, please submit a nomination form here.

Nominations are open beginning today, Monday, December 10, through Friday, December 21.

Perks of the program include an annual face-to-face gathering, the occasional swag bag, and a special avatar for your Member profile (just to name a few!). We've got a growing Community-within-the-Community, and we'd love for you to be part of it. Send your nomination form in by Friday, December 21 to be considered for our next round of Community Champions!

Please send questions about the Community Champions program to Lindsey.

Community Champions - Calling for Cycle 3 Nominations!

LindseyD — Wed, 12 Sep 2018 15:39:55 GMT

Do you love travel? Are you so familiar with flying on Southwest that friends and family call to ask you about booking, boarding, and checking free bags? If so, we'd love to have you on the Community Champions Team!

If you are interested in being considered for the Community Champions Program, please submit a nomination form by Friday, September 21. You may also submit nomination forms on behalf of other Community Members. To submit a nomination, just click the yellow button on the Community Champions landing page.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Meet Our Newest Community Champions!

LindseyD — Mon, 09 Jul 2018 14:45:41 GMT

Happy Friday, Southwest Community!

Have you ever had a question about what qualifies as a carry-on item for your upcoming flight? Have you wondered how our Rapid Rewards program works? Would you like to hear some tips about traveling with children? If you’ve asked a question in the Community over the past couple months, chances are your question has been answered by one of our Community Champions. The Champions are a group of knowledgeable, passionate, and experienced Community Members who help the Community thrive by answering questions, sharing experiences, and fostering connections among our valued Community Members.

Today, we are celebrating the addition of three outstanding Members to the Community Champions Program! Please join us in congratulating our newest Champions:

If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a Community Champion, make sure to fill out a nomination form. We’ll review nominations and add new Members to the program every three months.

Community Champions - Now is Your Time!

LindseyD — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 22:03:17 GMT

It's time to induct the next round of Community Champions, and the nomination deadline is quickly approaching!

If you are interested in being considered for the Community Champions Program, please submit a nomination form by Friday, June 15. You may also submit nomination forms on behalf of other Community Members. To submit a nomination, just click the yellow button on the Community Champions landing page.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Please Congratulate Our Inaugural Community Champions!

LindseyD — Fri, 06 Apr 2018 20:45:23 GMT

Happy Friday, Southwest Community!

We are pleased to announce the inaugural members of Southwest Airlines Community Champions Program. Please join me in congratulating:

If you’ve asked a question in the discussion forum, there’s a good chance that one of these Community Members has provided an answer. I encourage you to take a minute to check out their Member Profiles and get to know each of these folks a little better. These are some truly knowledgeable individuals with a variety of expertise when it comes to flying Southwest Airlines.

As a reminder, the Southwest Community Champions Program recognizes the contributions of our most active Community Members. Community Champions are leaders within the Community who answer questions, author stories, and foster meaningful conversations.

If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a Community Champion, make sure to fill out nomination form. We’ll review nominations and add new Members to the program every three months.

Updates and Changes on the Southwest Community!

LindseyD — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 21:02:19 GMT

Hello Southwest Community!

This is a friendly reminder that the deadline for nominations to the Community Champions Program is March 15, 2018. If you want to be considered for our first cycle of Champions, please make sure your nominations are in by Thursday, March 15.

You can learn more about the program and submit a nomination form here.

Best of luck!

Updates and Changes on the Southwest Community!

LindseyD — Wed, 14 Feb 2018 21:30:36 GMT

Happy Valentine’s Day Community Members!

It won’t surprise you that one of our favorite holidays here at the LUV Airline is Valentine’s Day. And since it’s such a big deal around here, we thought we’d celebrate by unveiling some new features on the Southwest Community:

The Southwest Community Champions Program

We’re excited to offer Members the opportunity to be officially recognized as trusted voices within the Community. Check out the Community Champions Page to learn more about the program and see if you’ve got what it takes to participate!

The Outreach Page

In this new section of the Southwest Community, learn about how Southwest gives back by Loving People, Living Responsibly, and Building Resilience. If you have questions about Southwest’s involvement in the communities we serve, visit us on the Community Outreach Discussion Board.

Rank and Badge Changes

Within the Community, you can earn a variety of ranks and badges based on your activity. Writing blogs, posting comments, giving “loves” to other Members, and providing answers to questions that become “accepted solutions” are all ways that you can level up through the Community.

We can’t wait to get your feedback on these new features, so check them out and share your thoughts with us over in the Discussion Forum! Oh, and one more thing… will you be our Valentine?

Community Champions Program FAQs

LindseyD — Wed, 14 Feb 2018 15:08:32 GMT

Community Champions are leaders within the Community who help foster good conversation, share their stories, and answer questions in the Discussion Forum. Read on to learn more!

Q: What is the Southwest Community Champions program?

A: The Southwest Community Champion Program recognizes the contributrions of outstanding Community Members. Champions have contributed significantly to the Community with answers, support, and Stories.

Q: Who are the Champions?

A: Champions are Southwest Community Members who have been nominated, and invited, into the Champions Program.

Q: Are Champions employed by Southwest or have an otherwise formal relationship?

A: No. Champions are not Southwest Employees. Champions volunteer their time to the Community without the promise, expectation, or receipt of compensation.

Q: What benefits are received?

A: Benefits fall into three categories:

Status:

Community Champions will be given a badge on the bottom right corner of their profile picture that will identify them as Members of the program.

Perks:

Champions receive a variety of perks throughout their time in the program, ranging from exclusive swag to invitations to visit our Company Headquarters in Dallas, TX.

Access:

Champions have opportunities to connect regularly with The Southwest Community Team, making it easier to discuss questions, issues, and opportunities for the Community.

Q: How are Champions chosen once they are nominated?

A: Community Members who have been nominated (by themselves or by other

community members) are invited into the program by the Southwest Community Team.

Candidates are chosen based on their contributions to the community, knowledge of the

Southwest flying experience, and overall positive attitude.

Q: What does Southwest ask of Champions?

A: Champions are asked to continue contributing at significant levels to the community,

and to maintain a leadership presence within the community. Quite simply, Southwest simply asks Champions to continue being great community members.

Q: How long can I be a Champion?

A: Membership in the Champions program is a 12 month cycle. At the end of 12 months, all Champions need to be re-nominated and re-invited into the program. There are no

exceptions to this process. A Community Member can participate in the Champions

program for a number of years, assuming their contributions continue and they are re-invited to the program.

Q: How do you become a Community Champion?

A: Simple!

1. Contribute to the Community with a Fun-LUVing attitude!

2. Get nominated, or nominate yourself.

3. Wait for an invitation from the Southwest Community Team.

Q: Can I nominate myself?

A: Absolutely! Visit the Community Champions page to fill out a nomination form.

Q: Anything else I should know?

A: This program is a voluntary, unpaid, non-employee position. There are no guarantees

for any particular benefits.

Southwest Community Fantastic Five!

LindseyD — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 16:57:55 GMT

Hello Community!

We mentioned a few days back that we had some fun Halloween treats coming. If you logged in today, you received one of those treats: the Halloween 2017 badge! Head over to your profile page to see it!

Can you believe it’s been more than a year since we launched the Southwest Community?? It’s been amazing to see the growth and interest in this Community. When we launched, our Team wanted to create an inviting, warm space just like our Southwest flight experience. We are still building and tweaking and growing the Community, but we are so proud of how far we've all come together.

In the last year, there have been a great many contributions from Community Members. But a select few have really stepped up and contributed in amazing ways. We are calling these folks the Fantastic Five. And to properly recognize them, we have crafted a Fantastic Five badge.

Without further ado, let us present your winners!

Massive Contribution Award:

This award recognizes massive contributions to the Community, from answering questions to welcoming people into the Discussion Forums. This person has put a ton of time into the Community, day after day.

Most Positive Award:

This award recognizes the Member who always brings positivity to the conversation. If they were on a plane, they’d be singing the boarding announcements.

Most Answers Marked as Solved:

One of the most critical ways we can judge the success of the Community is by how many solved answers are added to the Community. Answers marked as solved help other travelers figure out how to get their answers quick. This Member has blown us away with the number of their answers marked as solved.

Prepared for Takeoff Award:

This award is for the person who is always able and willing to offer advice on making the travel experience go more smoothly and can be counted on for the best insider tips and tricks.

Warm Embrace Award:

Whether you’re stepping onto a Southwest plane, or entering the Southwest Community, we want everyone to feel welcome. In addition to posting great questions, this Member has done a great job of making everyone feel valued and at ease when they jump into the discussion.

The Southwest Community Team would like to give a huge thanks to the Award Winners for all they do in keeping the Community a fun and helpful place. Please join us in congratulating them!

Coming Soon: Halloween Treats!

LindseyD — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 21:35:30 GMT

Hello Southwest Community!

One of our favorite times of the year around here at Southwest Airlines is Halloween. The costumes, the candy, the fun… oh how we love it!

And, in the spirit of the holiday, the Southwest Community Team has some treats in store for you! First, make sure you log in to the Southwest Community on Halloween day to collect the 2017 Halloween badge. It’s gone forever when the clock strikes midnight!

But wait – there's more! We are also going to have a special virtual event where we give proper thanks to some of the Community Members who have gone above and beyond in the last year since our launch in July 2016.

We’ll see you on Halloween day, Tuesday, October 31!

Vote for Southwest in the Lithy Awards!

AshleyMainz — Thu, 18 May 2017 18:39:49 GMT

I’m excited to announce that Southwest Airlines is up for three Lithy Awards highlighting the Southwest Airlines Community, the Social Customer Care Team, and the Social Surprise & Delight Program! Our entries have been posted to the Lithium Community for public voting through Friday, May 19. You must have an account to vote, but creating an account is quick and easy. Once you are logged in all you have to do is give kudos to the Southwest entries by clicking the ‘Kudo’ button.

Here are the direct links to our entries where you can vote for Southwest:

Thank you for voting and showing your love to Southwest!

Ashley

Southwest Airlines Community Manager

New Discussion Boards!

LindseyD — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 22:51:38 GMT

Hello Southwest Airlines Community!

The Southwest Airlines Community Discussion Forum has been active since July 2016, and in that time you've given us great insight and feedback. We've listened to you, and today we're offering you five new discussion boards based on your requests.

These new boards are:

Family Travel
International Travel
In The Air
Travel Inspiration
Travel to Cuba

Go check them out, start some conversations, and as always - let us know what you think!

Badge Notification Emails

AshleyMainz — Thu, 01 Sep 2016 20:41:58 GMT

The Southwest Airlines Community Team is working behind the scenes this afternoon to update some badges. As a result, some Community Members may receive email notifications based on previous activity. Please know that your information remains private and secure.

If you want to edit your notification settings, you can do so after logging in. Once logged in, click on your profile icon on the top-right, then navigate to the "Subscriptions & Notifications" tab, and select the "Notification Settings" sub-tab.

[ALERT] Systemwide Outages

Brooks — Thu, 21 Jul 2016 03:54:42 GMT

UPDATE at 10:30 p.m. CDT:

UPDATE at 8:00 p.m. CDT: Once our systems resume full functionality, we’re offering flexible accommodations for rebooking your travel. Please stay tuned for more.

--------

Southwest Airlines began experiencing intermittent performance issues earlier this afternoon with multiple technology systems as a result of an outage. We are now managing flight delays across our system. We apologize to our Customers whose travel plans are impacted.

If you are seeing this image on southwest.com, you are in our waiting room. Please don't refresh your browser; we are working hard on a fix.

[UPDATED] Email Notifications for Nuts About Southwest Users

Brooks — Thu, 25 Aug 2016 23:09:13 GMT

Past users of Southwest Airlines' Company blog, Nuts About Southwest, may receive email notifications based on previous activity (comments, likes, account creation, etc.). Please know that your information remains private and secure. On Thursday, August 25, a number of users received badges that may have been triggered by a behind-the-scenes update. As you might recall, a similar occurrence happened when we migrated Nuts About Southwest to the current space you are on, The Southwest Airlines Community. During the move, existing accounts were entered into our new ranking and badging system, which cataloged the previously-mentioned activity. Notifications were sent to email addresses associated with past accounts. We apologize for the inconvenience. Here's an example of what an email notification looks like from The Southwest Airlines Community:

If you want to log in to your existing account on The Southwest Airlines Community but don't remember your password, please click here.

If you want to turn off notifications, you can do so after logging in. Once logged in, click on your profile icon on the top-right, then navigate to the "Subscriptions & Notifications" tab, and select the "Notification Settings" sub-tab, shown here:

Welcome to The Southwest Airlines Community

LisaGoode — Tue, 19 Jul 2016 22:44:35 GMT

I am thrilled to welcome you to The Southwest Airlines Community, a place where Customers can share stories and ideas, ask questions, seek advice from each other, and find inspiration. Southwest Stories showcases all of the inspirational and educational stories from our Employees and Customers, as well informational articles on travel, aviation, and Southwest products. The Discussion Forum allows Customers to interact with each other to share tips and tricks and find the information they need to make traveling on Southwest easier and more enjoyable.

Terms of Use

AshleyMainz — Wed, 14 Feb 2018 04:58:30 GMT

SOUTHWEST COMMUNITY TERMS OF USE

Effective Date: February 14, 2018

These Terms of Use (“Terms”) set forth a legally binding agreement between you and Southwest Airlines Co. (“Southwest,” “we,” “our,” or “us”), and govern your use of the Southwest Airlines’ Community website (the “Southwest Community” or “Community”), including any mobile app or other online service location through which you may access the Community and any features, content, or other services that we own, control and make available through such mobile app or online service location (collectively, the “Service”).

By using the Service, you accept these Terms, and consent to the collection, use, and sharing of your data and other activities as described in our Privacy Policy. In some instances, both these Terms and separate terms will apply to your use of the Service (“Additional Terms”). To the extent there is a conflict between these Terms and any Additional Terms, the Additional Terms will control unless they expressly state otherwise. Terms of Use are attached.

Please also refer to our Southwest Community User Guidelines for further information regarding your use of the Southwest Community.

Service Use

Registration and Accounts. The Service is intended to provide Southwest customers with an online community of message boards and other features that offer the opportunity to exchange useful and helpful information. Such information may be provided via text, links, images, communications, opinions, software, data, or any other content provided by a user on the Southwest Community (“Postings”). You do not need to be a Southwest customer to register for or participate in the Southwest Community. We encourage anyone to join, subject to the limitations in these Terms and any Additional Terms. Although registration is not required to read Postings in the Southwest Community, users must register an account in order to post in the Southwest Community. Southwest may refuse to grant you, and you may not use, a user name that is already being used by someone else, belongs to or impersonates another person, violates the intellectual property or other rights of any person (including but not limited to trademark rights), is offensive, or that Southwest rejects for any other reason in its sole discretion. You agree that all information provided in a profile is accurate, up to date, and complete, and that it will be kept updated. Southwest may terminate your account if any of the information provided is found to be inaccurate, out of date, or incomplete.

Content. The Service contains: (i) materials and other items relating to Southwest and its products and services, and similar items from our licensors and other third parties, including all layout, information, databases, articles, Postings, text, data, files, images, scripts, designs, graphics, instructions, illustrations, photographs, sounds, pictures, videos, advertising copy, URLs, technology, software, interactive features, the “look and feel” of the Service, and the compilation, assembly, and arrangement of the materials of the Service and any and all copyrightable material; (ii) trademarks, logos, trade names, trade dress, service marks, and trade identities of various parties, including those of Southwest; and (iii) other forms of intellectual property (all of the foregoing, collectively “Content”). All right, title, and interest in and to the Service and the Content is the property of Southwest or our licensors or certain other third parties, and is protected by U.S. and international copyright, trademark, trade dress, patent and/or other intellectual property and unfair competition rights and laws to the fullest extent possible.

Limited License. Subject to your strict compliance with these Terms and the Additional Terms, Southwest grants you a limited, non-exclusive, revocable, non-assignable, personal, and non-transferable license to download, display, view, use, play the Content on a personal computer, browser, laptop, tablet, mobile phone or other Internet-enabled device (each, a “Device”) and/or print one copy of the Content as it is displayed to you, in each case for your personal, non-commercial use only. The foregoing limited license (i) does not give you any ownership of, or any other intellectual property interest in, any Content, and (ii) may be immediately suspended or terminated for any reason, in Southwest’s sole discretion, and without advance notice or liability. Your unauthorized use of the Content may violate copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, communications, and other laws, and any such use may result in your personal liability, including potential criminal liability.

Limitations of Use. If you are under the age of thirteen (13), then you are not permitted to use the Service or Content. You agree to comply with all local, state, federal, national, foreign, supranational, and international laws, statutes, ordinances, regulations, treaties, directives, and agreements that apply to your use of the Service and Content. The Service and Content is available to you only for non-commercial use. You may not use the Service or Content for, or in connection with, offering any third-party product or service not authorized or approved by Southwest. You further agree that you will not: (i) use the Service or Content for any political purpose; (ii) engage in any activity in connection with the Service or Content that is unlawful, harmful, offensive, obscene, violent, threatening, harassing, abusive, or otherwise objectionable to Southwest; (iii) harvest any information from the Service; (iv) reverse engineer or modify the Service; (v) interfere with the proper operation of or any security measure used by the Service; (vi) infringe any intellectual property or other right of any third party; (vii) use the Content in a manner that suggests an unauthorized association or is beyond the scope of the limited license granted to you; or (viii) otherwise violate these Terms or any applicable Additional Terms.

Availability and Termination. Southwest may immediately suspend or terminate the availability of the Service and Content, in whole or in part, to any individual user or all users, for any reason, in Southwest’s sole discretion, and without advance notice or liability. Upon suspension or termination of your access to the Service, or upon notice from Southwest, all rights granted to you under these Terms or any Additional Terms will cease immediately, and you agree that you will immediately discontinue use of the Service. The provisions of these Terms and any applicable Additional Terms, which by their nature should survive your suspension or termination will survive.

Reservation of All Rights. All rights not expressly granted to you are reserved by Southwest and its licensors and other third parties. No right or license may be construed, under any legal theory, by implication, estoppel, industry custom, or otherwise. Any unauthorized use of any Content or the Service for any purpose is prohibited.

Community Usage Rules

Appropriate Conduct. We may edit or remove any Postings that we consider, in our sole discretion, to violate the Terms or to be inappropriate for the Southwest Community or Service, for any reason. Users of the Southwest Community are responsible for exercising careful and appropriate judgment in evaluating and taking action based on other users’ Postings, since such Postings may reflect significantly different levels of knowledge and experience by users. Users of the Southwest Community agree that Southwest is not responsible for any Postings and will not be liable for any damages incurred as a result of their use of any such Postings. Southwest has no obligation to monitor any links provided by users in Postings, and is not responsible for such links, which are to be accessed at a user’s own risk.

Prohibited Acts. Users of the Southwest Community agree not to engage in any of the following inappropriate conduct. You will not:

Impersonate any person or entity, including but not limited to, a representative of Southwest, or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity;

Post, collect, or store personal data about other users;

Post “spam”, which may include, but is not limited to, advertisements for other websites and services, junk mail, chain letters, or pyramid schemes, unauthorized solicitations, or other marketing materials;

“Flood” the Southwest Community with excessive posting or padding Postings;

Post material (including, but not limited to, text, documents, images, photographs, and videos) that is libelous, slanderous, defamatory, fraudulent, unlawful, false or misleading, harmful, tortious, vulgar, invasive of another’s privacy, sexually explicit, offensive, obscene, profane, violent, threatening, harassing, abusive, hateful, or otherwise inappropriate with respect to race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, or other intrinsic characteristic; or otherwise objectionable.

Discuss illegal activities or provide links to websites containing such information;

Post content that is copyrighted, protected by trade secret or otherwise subject to any third-party intellectual property rights or propriety rights, including any privacy and publicity rights, unless you are the owner of such rights or have permission from the rightful owner of such rights to post such content and to grant Southwest all of the license rights and other rights granted in these Terms;

Post any information or software containing a virus, worm, Trojan horse, or any other computer code, files, programs or components designed to interrupt, damage, destroy, or limit the functionality of any computer software or hardware or telecommunications equipment;

Post a link directing users to any information or content that, if posted on the Southwest Community, intentionally or unintentionally would constitute a violation of the Terms or any applicable local, state, national, or international law and any regulations having the force of law;

Attack another user or entity in such a way as to incite or perpetuate an argument or conflict;

Post about how to circumvent Southwest’s security or violate Southwest policies or terms;

Post about any litigation or potential litigation (past, present, future, or otherwise); or

Post any private communications you have had with Southwest representatives, other companies’ agents, or individuals on the boards.

Please note: You shall be solely liable for any damages resulting from any violation of the foregoing restrictions, or any other harm resulting from your posting of content in the Southwest Community. You acknowledge that Southwest may exercise its rights to any content you submit without notice to you (e.g. use, publish, or delete such content).

Moderators. Southwest reserves the right to manage the Postings on the Southwest Community to provide an orderly presentation of this information. To effectively manage the Southwest Community, Southwest may designate employees or others to act as moderators and administrators for the Southwest Community (“Moderators”). These Moderators are the only representatives of Southwest authorized to manage the Southwest Community. Any users who are not designated as Moderators are not authorized to represent themselves on the Southwest Community as Moderators. Authorized Southwest employees are distinguished by the Rank of “Employee” and/or an official Southwest logo as an avatar. Southwest is not responsible for content provided by any Southwest employee who is not designated as a Moderator or an Employee.

Community Champions. Some Community Members will have the Community Champions icon next to their user names. These individuals were self-nominated or nominated by other users and selected by Southwest Airlines for their contributions to the Community. Community Champions are the only individuals authorized to display the Community Champions icon next to their user name. Southwest may offer Community Champions benefits and award privileges for their participation in the Community. The benefits and privileges provided do not create an employee, agency or independent contractor relationship between Community Champions and Southwest, and Community Champions may not present themselves as spokespersons for Southwest. The Southwest Community is not a direct customer support channel, and Community Champions cannot assist you with customer service issues or provide official advice, support, or information on behalf of Southwest Airlines. If you need direct customer support, Southwest is not responsible for any Postings by Community Champions or any other users and will not be liable for any damages incurred as a result of your use of such Postings.

Community Monitoring. Users are asked to help Southwest keep the Southwest Community a valuable and enjoyable information resource for all participants by notifying us of any offending messages or other violations of these Terms. To advise us of such a Posting, click the confidential “Report Inappropriate Content” link on the applicable Posting. Repeat offenders will be contacted by e-mail and may be banned from the Southwest Community. If violations are egregious in nature, we will contact the appropriate authorities.

User Guidelines. Please also refer to our Southwest Community User Guidelines for further information regarding your participation in the Community.

Copyright Infringement and DMCA Policy

Southwest respects the intellectual property rights of others, and expects those who use the Service to do the same. If you believe that your work has been copied in a way that constitutes copyright infringement in the United States, please notify Southwest of your claim of infringement by sending the following written information to our Copyright Agent, designated as such pursuant to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”), 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(2), named below:

Your physical or electronic signature.

Identification of the copyrighted work you believe to have been infringed.

Identification of the material you believe to be infringing in a sufficiently precise manner to allow us to locate that material.

Adequate information by which we can contact you (including your name, postal address, telephone number and, if available, e-mail address).

A statement that you have a good faith belief that use of the copyrighted material is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent or the law.

A statement that the information in the written notice is accurate.

A statement, under penalty of perjury, that you are authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.

We will respond to notices of claimed copyright infringement in accordance with the DMCA. It is our policy in appropriate circumstances to disable and/or terminate the accounts of users who are repeat infringers. Our designated Copyright Agent to receive DMCA Notices is:

Southwest Airlines

Attention: General Counsel

2702 Love Field Drive

HDQ-4GC

Dallas, Texas 75235

(214) 792-4680

(214) 792-6200 (fax)

Submissions

We appreciate hearing from you and encourage our customers to submit relevant information based on their experiences with Southwest to the Service. The Service may allow you to submit content to us, including Postings, feedback, and comments regarding your use of the Service (“Submissions”). You grant us a non-exclusive, unrestricted, unconditional, unlimited, worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual, transferable and cost-free right and license to use, copy, record, distribute, reproduce, disclose, sell, re-sell, sublicense, display, publicly perform, transmit, publish, broadcast, translate, make derivative works of, and otherwise use and exploit in any manner whatsoever, all or any portion of your Submissions and derivative works thereof, for any purpose whatsoever in all formats, on or through any means or medium now known or hereafter developed, and with any technology or devices now known or hereafter developed, and to advertise, market, and promote the same. You also irrevocably consent to our use and association of your name in connection with your Submissions and derivatives thereof. You agree to waive any moral rights that you may have in any Submissions, even if it is altered or changed in a manner not agreeable to you. To the extent not waivable, you irrevocably agree not to exercise such rights in a manner that interferes with any exercise of the granted rights. You understand that you will not receive any fees, sums, consideration, or remuneration for any of the rights granted in this Section. Our receipt of your Submissions is not an admission of their novelty, priority, or originality, and it does not impair our right to contest existing or future intellectual property rights relating to your Submissions. You agree that your Submissions will not: (i) promote any political or commercial purpose; (ii) defame, abuse, harass, stalk, or threaten others; (iii) use racially or ethnically offensive language; (iv) discuss or incite illegal activity; or (v) infringe any intellectual property or other right of any third party.

Customer Support

If you have any questions about the Service, please send an e-mail to us . You acknowledge that the provision of support is at Southwest’s sole discretion and that we have no obligation to provide you with customer support of any kind. All legal notices to us must be mailed to: Southwest Airlines Co., P.O. Box 36647-1CR, Dallas, Texas 75235 (Attention: Legal Counsel). When you communicate with us electronically, you consent to receive communications from us electronically. You agree that all agreements, notices, disclosures, and other communications that we provide to you electronically satisfy any legal requirement that such communications be in writing.

Third Parties

Third-Party Content and Sites; Advertisements. The Service may contain or may interact with third-party content that is not owned, controlled or operated by Southwest (collectively, “Third-Party Services”). We may also host our content on Third-Party Services. Southwest neither endorses nor controls such Third-Party Services, and you acknowledge and agree that we are not responsible or liable for the information, content, products, or services on or available from such Third-Party Services, or for the results of using them. If you choose to access any such Third-Party Services, you do so at your own risk.

Dealings with Third Parties. Any interactions, transactions, or other dealings that you have with any third parties found on or through the Service are solely between you and the third party. You hereby agree to indemnify Southwest against all claims, injuries, and/or damages, including attorneys’ fees, that arise out of your use of any Third-Party Service.

Service Features

E-mail Messages. You can opt out of receiving promotional e-mails from us by following the instructions as provided in e-mails to click on the unsubscribe link or by sending an e-mail to us

Forum Selection

These Terms and your use of the Service shall be governed by the laws of the State of Texas without regard to any conflict of law provisions. You agree to the personal and exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located within Dallas, TX. You hereby consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the State and Federal courts in Dallas, Texas in all disputes. You agree and understand that you will not bring against the Southwest Parties any class action lawsuit related to your access to, dealings with, or use of the Service.

Disclaimer of Representations and Warranties

AS PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW: (A) THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED TO YOU ON AN “AS AVAILABLE” AND “WITH ALL FAULTS” BASIS; (B) NEITHER SOUTHWEST NOR ANY OF ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, MANAGERS, EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS (COLLECTIVELY, THE “SOUTHWEST PARTIES”) MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES OR ENDORSEMENTS OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER AS TO THE CONTENT OR OTHER SERVICES, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, STATUTORY OR OTHERWISE, OR ARISING FROM COURSE OF DEALING, COURSE OF PERFORMANCE OR USAGE OF TRADE, INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, QUIET ENJOYMENT AND FREEDOM FROM COMPUTER VIRUS; AND (C) BY ACCESSING OR USING THE SERVICE YOU REPRESENT AND WARRANT THAT YOUR ACTIVITIES ARE LAWFUL IN EVERY JURISDICTION WHERE YOU ACCESS OR USE THE SERVICE. THIS SECTION IS NOT INTENDED TO LIMIT: (I) WARRANTIES PROVIDED BY MANUFACTURERS; OR (II) YOUR ABILITY TO RECOVER FROM PERSONAL INJURY.

Limitations of Our Liability

AS PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL THE SOUTHWEST PARTIES BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY LOSS, DAMAGE OR INJURY OF ANY KIND INCLUDING ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, EXEMPLARY, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE LOSSES OR DAMAGES, OR DAMAGES FOR SYSTEM FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OR LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, USE, BUSINESS OR GOOD-WILL, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH (A) THE SERVICE, (B) THESE TERMS OR (C) YOUR USE OF, OR INABILITY TO ACCESS OR USE, THE SERVICE OR ANY CONTENT AVAILABLE ON OR THROUGH THE SERVICE, EVEN IF SUCH DAMAGES WERE FORESEEABLE OR SOUTHWEST HAS BEEN ADVISED OF OR SHOULD HAVE KNOWN OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. AS PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE LIMITATIONS SET FORTH IN THIS SECTION SHALL APPLY REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF ACTION, WHETHER THE ASSERTED LIABILITY OR DAMAGES ARE BASED ON CONTRACT, INDEMNIFICATION, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, STATUTE OR ANY OTHER LEGAL OR EQUITABLE THEORY. THIS SECTION IS NOT INTENDED TO LIMIT: (I) WARRANTIES PROVIDED BY MANUFACTURERS; OR (II) YOUR ABILITY TO RECOVER FROM PERSONAL INJURY.

Waiver of Injunctive or Other Equitable Relief

YOU AGREE THAT YOU WILL NOT BE PERMITTED TO OBTAIN AN INJUNCTION OR OTHER EQUITABLE RELIEF OF ANY KIND, SUCH AS ANY COURT OR OTHER ACTION THAT MAY INTERFERE WITH OR PREVENT THE DEVELOPMENT OR EXPLOITATION OF ANY WEBSITE, APPLICATION, CONTENT, SUBMISSIONS, PRODUCT, SERVICE, OR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OWNED, LICENSED, USED OR CONTROLLED BY SOUTHWEST OR A LICENSOR OF SOUTHWEST.

Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless Southwest from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs and expenses (including, reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs) arising out of or in connection with any of the following: (i) your breach or alleged breach of these Terms; (ii) your Submissions; (iii) your use of the Service; (iv) your violation of any laws, rules, regulations, codes, statutes, ordinances or orders of any governmental or quasi-governmental authorities; (v) your violation of the rights of any third party, including any intellectual property right, publicity, confidentiality, property or privacy right; or (vi) any misrepresentation made by you. Southwest reserves the right to assume, at your expense, the exclusive defense and control of any matter subject to indemnification by you. You agree to cooperate with Southwest’s defense of any claim. You will not in any event settle any claim without the prior written consent of Southwest. This section is not intended to limit: (i) warranties provided by manufacturers; or (ii) your ability to recover from personal injury.

Updates to Terms

We reserve the right, at any time in our sole discretion, to modify or replace any part of these Terms and any applicable Additional Terms, without prior notice. You agree that we may notify you of any updated Terms and any applicable Additional Terms by posting them on the Service so that they are accessible via a link from the home page, and/or to send you an e-mail to the last e-mail address you provided to us. All such changes are effective immediately when we post them, or such later date as may be specified in the notice of updated Terms and any applicable Additional Terms. Your continued use of the Service following the posting of revised Terms and any applicable Additional Terms shall indicate your acknowledgement of such changes and your agreement to be bound by the terms and conditions of such changes. If you object to any such changes, your sole recourse is to cease using the Service.

General Provisions

Consent or Approval. No Southwest consent or approval may be deemed to have been granted by Southwest without being in writing and signed by an officer of Southwest.

Severability; Interpretation; Assignment. If any provision of these Terms, or any Additional Terms, is for any reason deemed invalid, unlawful, void, or unenforceable, then that provision will be deemed severable from these Terms or the Additional Terms, and the invalidity of the provision will not affect the validity or enforceability of the remainder of these Terms or the applicable Additional Terms. You hereby waive any applicable statutory or common law that may permit a contract to be construed against its drafter. The summaries of provisions and section headings are provided for convenience only and shall not limit the full Terms. Southwest may assign its rights and obligations under these Terms and any applicable Additional Terms, in whole or in part, to any party at any time without any notice. These Terms and any applicable Additional Terms may not be assigned by you, and you may not delegate your duties under them, without the prior written consent of an officer of Southwest.

Complete Agreement; No Waiver. These Terms, and any applicable Additional Terms, reflect our complete agreement regarding the Service and supersede any prior agreements, representations, warranties, assurances or discussion related to the Service. Except as expressly set forth in these Terms or any applicable Additional Terms, (i) no failure or delay by you or Southwest in exercising any of rights, powers, or remedies under will operate as a waiver of that or any other right, power, or remedy, and (ii) no waiver or modification of any term of these Terms or any applicable Additional Terms will be effective unless in writing and signed by the party against whom the waiver or modification is sought to be enforced.

International Issues. Southwest controls and operates the Service from the United States, and Southwest makes no representation that the Service is appropriate or available for use beyond the United States. You agree that the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods does not apply to these Terms or to any sale of goods carried out as a result of your use of the Service. Software related to or made available by the Service may be subject to export controls of the U.S.A, and, except as authorized by law, you agree and warrant not to export or re-export the software to any county, or to any person, entity, or end-user subject to U.S. export controls or sanctions.

Investigations; Cooperation with Law Enforcement. Southwest reserves the right to investigate and prosecute any suspected breaches of these Terms or the Service. Southwest may disclose any information as necessary to satisfy any law, regulation, legal process or governmental request.

Story Submission Guidelines

AshleyMainz — Thu, 02 Mar 2017 20:17:10 GMT

Every seat has a story, and we’re glad you want to share yours! After submitting your story, it is reviewed by our Editorial Team. The following guidelines will ensure a smooth takeoff on the Southwest Airlines Community! Below is everything you need to know when you’re crafting your story, submitting it, and reacting to it once it is posted. Allow us to post your story by following these guidelines.

Story Submission Guidelines for the Southwest Airlines Community

Proper grammar and punctuation: Please pay attention to squiggly lines. The story submission interface has a built-in spellcheck function. Please proofread your posts to ensure your sentences are complete and words are spelled correctly!
Acceptable story length: Posts should be between 200 – 600 words. Posts under 200 words will only be considered if there is also a video included. Submissions of 600 words is our absolute max.
Keep it classy: We love hearing stories about experiences with Southwest, traveling abroad, tips for travelers, and a host of other things. Please keep in mind your audience when submitting a post, and review the Community’s user guidelines and Terms of Service. Offensive or threatening content will not be accepted.
Photo uploading: Photo uploads are encouraged, however please ensure that you own or have express written consent to use the photos you are uploading. Photos should not contain copyrighted or trademarked content unless it is owned by the uploader or approved for usage by the copyright or trademark owner. Photos should be clear and at least 300 x 300 pixels. Unclear or low resolution photos may be deleted by the Editorial Team. By uploading your photos, you are providing permission to Southwest Airlines to repurpose your content on other internal and external Southwest-operated social channels.
Video uploading: Video uploads are also encouraged, and follow the same upload criteria as photos. Uploaded videos should not contain copyrighted or trademarked content unless it is owned by the uploader or approved for usage by the copyright or trademark owner. Videos should not be longer than five minutes in length. Videos longer than five minutes may be deleted by the Editorial Team. By uploading your photos, you are providing permission to Southwest Airlines to repurpose your content on other internal and external Southwest-operated social media channels.
Relevant discussions: When writing your story, think about the relevant questions a fellow user might ask about your experience. Are those questions represented on the discussions portion of the Southwest Community? If they are, be sure to reference them and link over to them. The most successful posts tell a great story and also leave breadcrumbs for users to get their questions answered.
Story submission process: After submitting your story, please allow 72 hours for the Editorial Team to review it. Once your story has been posted, you will receive a notification that it has been published. If your story is declined , you will receive an email from the Editorial Team explaining why it was declined .
Get social with your story: Did your story get published? Be proud of it! Share a link to the story with your various social networks. You can do so at the bottom of your published post by clicking each applicable social network icon.
Respect everyone’s opinions: Engage with fellow users who are commenting on your post, but please do so respectfully. Online communities are popular because people feel free to express themselves. Do not challenge these thoughts and opinions, and do not become defensive, even if you feel challenged or criticized. It is the Community Moderators’ role to ensure that all conversations remain constructive and acceptable in tone.
Rejected posts: A user will be notified by the Editorial Team if a story has been rejected. The notification will explain why the user’s post was unsuccessful, and suggest ways to correct it. Multiple rejections as a form of spam may result in revoking a user’s submission privileges. Further disruption may result in the user being banned from the Southwest Community.
Reporting violations: Please use the “Report Inappropriate Content” button to alert the Moderation Team to review the violating comment thread so that appropriate action may be taken.

The Southwest Airlines Community is intended as a peer-to-peer community website. For official communication with a Southwest Customer Relations Representative, visit southwest.com/contact-us.

If you have any questions or feedback please do not hesitate to contact the Social Business Team at “Community Mods – DG@wnco.com.”

Community User Guidelines

AshleyMainz — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 21:14:39 GMT

Welcome to The Southwest Airlines Community! This Community offers a space where people can share stories, exchange knowledge, learn, and find inspiration. When you participate in The Southwest Airlines Community, we request that you follow our user guidelines outlined below.

Be respectful and courteous.

We want you, and all Members, to feel comfortable sharing thoughts and ideas. We ask that you follow the Golden Rule and treat other Community Members the way you would like to be treated. Keep your tone positive and your comments constructive.

Be relevant to the topic on the discussion board and blog.

Make sure your contributions are relevant to the purpose of the Community and to the specific discussion board or blog where you post. For example, if you have a question about a Southwest policy, please make sure you post it in the General Travel Policies discussion forum. If you are commenting on a blog article, keep your comments related to the contents of the post.

Protect the privacy of yourself and others.

The Community is a public forum and should be treated as such. Please do not post personal information in the Community – neither your own personal information, nor the personal information of others. You may share your name if you wish, but you should avoid disclosing information such as your date of birth, email address, Social Security number, credit card information, reservation confirmation number, or other information that could compromise your privacy or security.

Use good judgment.

Remember, not all advice is sound advice. While Members and Employees will do their best to help each other out, it is possible for information provided in the Community to be wrong, incomplete, or not applicable to your specific situation. Always apply good judgment and feel free to seek information from other Southwest channels.

Search before posting.

As a best practice, we suggest that you search the Community for your discussion topic before posting it to a discussion board. If you don’t find the information you are looking for, you may start a new discussion. When you post your new discussion, do not post it to multiple boards. You should only post the discussion to the board that is the most relevant.

Comply with the Terms of Use.

By participating in the Community you agree to follow these guidelines as well as the Terms of Use for the Southwest Community. If you observe a violation of these guidelines, please notify us by choosing “Report Inappropriate Content” from the post’s Options menu.

Southwest Employees in the Community

Some Southwest Employees, including Community Managers, Moderators, Blog Authors, and Subject Matter Experts, will have the Southwest logo next to their user names. These Employees may be able to help out when assistance is requested, but please keep in mind that the Southwest Community is first and foremost a peer-to-peer community, not a direct customer support channel. If you need direct customer support, please reference Southwest.com/contact-us for available options.