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DO NOT book Southwest if you can't risk a cancellation

ellachen
Explorer C

Southwest cancelled my flight 3 hours in advance and could not rebook another one until the next day, which for a short weekend trip essentially ruined my vacation by subtracting one night from my two night trip. They will not reimburse you for any rebooked flights on other airlines (which are 5x to 10x more expensive when last minute/same day), and they will not reimburse your hotel rooms for the missed night. They have had a mass of last minute flight cancellations summer 2021, and they do nothing whatsoever to compensate you for your ruined trip or travel plans. The % possibility your flight will be cancelled with Southwest is very high. If you have an important trip coming up that cannot be delayed or cancelled, ABSOLUTELY DO NOT BOOK SOUTHWEST. Absolutely terrible cancellation policies and no compensation whatsoever, plus high risk of last minute cancellations. 

 

Tons of articles about Southwest's terrible operations this summer: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/southwest-airlines-canceled-2600-flights-june-crews-theyre/story?id=...

 

4 REPLIES 4

Re: DO NOT book Southwest if you can't risk a cancellation

parpitt1
Frequent Flyer A

Sorry to hear about your troubles, this is a customer to customer forum. I offer you some advice. If you travel by air, book flights in the morning, fly direct, and fly from a "Hub" airport.

Hub meaning that a particular airline has multiple flights through out any particular day. I live close to a regional airport but ALWAYS drive to the nearest major airport for personal and business trips. Why? Because it is important to me to be prepared for the unexpected. 

Good luck in the future

Re: DO NOT book Southwest if you can't risk a cancellation

ellachen
Explorer C

I was flying out from LAX International. They had other flights running but none available and they only cancelled mine. We even checked surrounding airports and the customer service could not help me. The airport type and location was not a factor here. Thanks for the tip though.

Re: DO NOT book Southwest if you can't risk a cancellation

CupCrusher40
Frequent Flyer B

5% cancellation rate still low considering Amtrak slow speed and price. 

Re: DO NOT book Southwest if you can't risk a cancellation

bec102896
Aviator A

Sorry your flight was cancelled. Weather is rough around the country from storms here in Texas to the topical mess in the north east from Elsa. This causes planes and crews to be grounded and that results in cancellations. Trust me airlines don't want to cancel flights but sometimes they don't have a choice. 

 

Once travel is complete you can Contact Customer Relations and they can review your flight and look in to possible compensation. 

 

-Blake