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Southwest Airlines Community

Refunds due to pandemic

Nontoohappy
Explorer B

It is beyond incomprehensible that Southwest will not refund my money for a flight I will not be taking. Sure I’m not going because I’m cancelling not the airline but there is a once in a century disaster that frankly should be keeping all people home and away from flying.  I don’t want a two year rescheduling option.  This thing may go on for 2 years and I really do not want to risk my health because Southwest is greedy 

15 REPLIES 15

Re: Refunds due to pandemic

Matt4202
Adventurer A

File a DOT complaint you'll get your refund it's fairly quick to do.

Re: Refunds due to pandemic

chgoflyer
Aviator A

@Matt4202 wrote:

File a DOT complaint you'll get your refund it's fairly quick to do.


 

You can absolutely file a DOT complaint, but it's unlikely to help. The DOT guidance with regards to refunds only applies when the airline cancels the flight, not if the customer does.

Re: Refunds due to pandemic

dfwskier
Aviator A

1) NO airline is refunding nonrefundable fares that were customer cancelled.

 

2) Southwest is doing  exactly what it told you what it would do in it's contract of carriage.

 

3) By extending travel fund expiration to June 2022, Southwest is doing more for it's passengers than any other airline.

 

 

Re: Refunds due to pandemic

Nontoohappy
Explorer B

I understand they are doing what is in their contract but these are extraordinary times and extraordinary considerations should be given.  This is not a thoughtless cancellation. This is frankly life and death and we should not risk our lives because Southwest contract says so

Re: Refunds due to pandemic

dfwskier
Aviator A

@Nontoohappy wrote:

I understand they are doing what is in their contract but these are extraordinary times and extraordinary considerations should be given.  This is not a thoughtless cancellation. This is frankly life and death and we should not risk our lives because Southwest contract says so


Southwest isnt asking asking you to risk your life. Southwest is giving you 26 months to use your fund.

 

As far as extraordinary times goes, that applies to airlines too.

 

 They are flying 4% of the passengers that were flying a year ago. For many of them, if they start refunding customer cancelled non refundable fares, they will go bankrupt and cause tens or hundreds of thousands of employees to lose their jobs.

 

Be happy with 26 months to use your funds. Be happy that a lot of people won't lose their jobs.

Re: Refunds due to pandemic

Nontoohappy
Explorer B

Tough to be happy when I know for sure I won’t use the funds regardless of how much time they give me.  I’m just out the cash in a time that I can use it more than an airline 

Re: Refunds due to pandemic

bwallet
Frequent Flyer A

I doubt it that you can use it more than the airlines. They are struggling as much as anyone right now. They are being extremely fair in going well beyond their contractual obligations.

 

I don't know your circumstances, but if you didn't have savings to be weathering a storm, perhaps you should not have been buying plane tickets. 

Re: Refunds due to pandemic

Nontoohappy
Explorer B

Kinda like a mega corporation that pulls in millions didn’t plan enough to weather this storm?  Perhaps they shouldn’t have taken my reservation if they couldn’t.  Your argument makes no sense.  Can I afford to lose the money on the tix.  Sure. But why should I when a unforeseen disaster strikes most companies change their rules to accommodate customers. Apparently Southwest never heard of this theory 

Re: Refunds due to pandemic

dfwskier
Aviator A

Well, that's kind of like saying the airlines should have prepared for the  airline equivalent of a thousand year flood.

 

If you think the airlines should have, the question becomes "why didn't you?"