Skip to main content

Southwest Airlines Community

System allowed a Companion reservation to be split from main traveler?!?

ssktx
Explorer C

My wife has Companion Pass. We booked a flight to Cabo from Love Field a few months ago to travel on Thanksgiving day, departing Dallas at 9am, stopping in Houston for an hour, then continuing to Cabo and landing around 1pm.

 

Over these last several weeks, I noticed the flight kept changing in my app (without ANY notification from Southwest that this was happening). Basically now the flight was leaving at 630am, really long layover in Houston, then continuing to Cabo. 

 

So I called Southwest and asked WTF was going on, they told me that the schedule to Houston from Dallas was being reduced so the system automatically moved our reservation to an earlier flight. I said that's WAY too early, we have a toddler with us and need a better flight time.

 

The agent and I commiserated about flying with a toddler. He then offered to change our flight to an 850am departure to Phoenix, continuing to Cabo and landing at 2pm. Not bad! Pretty much the same flight we originally booked, but just getting in 50 minutes later. No prob.

 

So now it's day-of, and we are heading to Love Field for our 850am flight. I check my app (remember, I'm the companion) and it STILL SHOWS an earlier flight to HOUSTON. My wife on the other hand, has her flight to Phoenix at 850am. 

 

How on earth is it possible that the agent was able to change my wife's ticket, and screwed up changing my flight (yes I gave both confirmation numbers), yet the system is allowing a Companion to fly unaccompanied by the Companion Pass holder??? The agent on the phone (who was the worst person I've ever spoken to, couldn't have cared less) pretty much said that if I tried to board that flight to Houston, I would not have even been able to get on the plane without my wife, the companion pass holder.

 

HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE that the Southwest booking system is such trash and would allow for this egregious error?

5 REPLIES 5

Re: System allowed a Companion reservation to be split from main traveler?!?

bec102896
Aviator A

I'm sorry to hear of your experience. 

 

Hopefully the agents at the airport were able to get you taken care of. I know the reaccomadation system has been out of wack lately because of the massive number of schedule changes. 

 

Once travel is complete you could Contact Customer Relations and maybe they could look in to what happened and possibly offer a goodwill gesture. 

 

-Blake

Re: System allowed a Companion reservation to be split from main traveler?!?

dfwskier
Aviator A

That does sound like a mess. Hope you got it straightened out since it is past the departure time for boh flights. Hope your holiday is not spoiled.

 

I believe the companion must be n the same flight as the "regular" ticket holder.

 

Perhaps you should let the airline know of your experience

 

 https://community.southwest.com/t5/Knowledge-Base/Submitting-a-Suggestion-and-or-Complaint/ta-p/8724...

Re: System allowed a Companion reservation to be split from main traveler?!?

ssktx
Explorer C

Unfortunately SW was not able to resolve it, and we have been rebooked for tomorrow instead. To make matters worse, the hotel we booked said that since it wasn't the hotel's fault, they will not adjust our reservation. So they are going to charge us for tonight, over $400, and our trip is cut short one day.

 

I spoke to SW on twitter and of course they don't reimburse for expenses due to the issue that they caused, but I'll instead get a LUV voucher which surely won't be anywhere near the appropriate cost for what they've done to us.

 

Very disappointed in this airline, especially as someone who earned companion pass I clearly am a good customer. They are not treating us well, yet there's nothing that can be done at this point besides eat the hotel cost for tonight, and have our trip shortened by a day.

Re: System allowed a Companion reservation to be split from main traveler?!?

ssktx
Explorer C

To make matters worse, we just called to confirm our flight for tomorrow. On my reservation (again I'm the companion), it shows our son as my lap child. 

 

On my wife's reservation, it ALSO shows our son as her lap child, AND all of a sudden he has a confirmed ticket--and SW has deducted over 12K points for his seat this morning! So that rude agent who I dealt with this morning in the first place ended up putting our son down as a lap child AND deducting points for his own seat which we did NOT ask for!!

 

So now when we called, the agent said to just leave it alone because she's scared that cancelling his confirmed seat and refunding those points could jeopardize our entire reservation. She said "just get on the flight, then contact SW to get a refund for those points"

 

Yet somehow, I have a strong feeling that SW isn't just going to refund those points for the additional issue they created. 

 

This is RIDICULOUS!!!!

Re: System allowed a Companion reservation to be split from main traveler?!?

dfwskier
Aviator A

If you can, try to get all of this in writing via twitter. A paper trail always helps.

 

I'd also suggest filing a written complaint using the link I provided earlier in the thread. I'd request a $400 voucher to make up fo the hotel cost.

 

Hope tomorrow happens easily for you.