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Cancelled Flight

TMP
Explorer C

We booked four tickets for our family and spring break in the early part of the year. We received a text literally two days before our flight was to leave that our flight was cancelled! I was driving at the time of the text. I got home and called customer service. I was on the phone for over two hours. He could not get me on a different flight and told me I should have called earlier! It is not easy to drop everything and book a flight. They couldn't get me on another flight except from a different airport. He said he put a ticket on hold for me and I could think about it. I called back the next day to see if any changes to any flights opening up from the same local airport versus 8 hours of driving to get to an airport. They said I had a ticket booked from another airport. I said that was impossible he said it was on hold yesterday and I would have time to think about it. The rep told me they don't put tickets on hold and that rep booked it. We had friends going with us, who got changed to a different flight but we did not! We ended up cancelling with SW and had to rebook with Delta. I paid over $2800 for FOUR one way tickets because Southwest couldn't accommodate us on a ticket that I had reserved months in advance. I am so disappointed in how I was treated and how much I ended up spending on four one way tickets with another airline. Lack of customer service was really disappointing.  Has anyone else experienced this? Is this how they typically handle things? 

2 REPLIES 2

Re: Cancelled Flight

SWDigits
Aviator A

@TMP wrote:

Is this how they typically handle things? 


No.

This has been a very unusual set of circumstances over the past couple of months. I am another customer and don't have any insight as to how the leadership team is making decisions but it's been crazy just to observe from afar. Mechanics contract, then late winter storm, then the MAX 8 grounding. It all combined to cause the situation you and others found yourself in.

I was relieved to read the news today that Southwest is adjusting their schedule through the end of May to account for the MAX 8. I hope it helps alleviate the last minute changes.

Here is the article:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/2019/03/29/southwest-airlines-removes-boeing-max-8-s-f...

Customer | Home airport DCA

Re: Cancelled Flight

dfwskier
Aviator A

@TMP wrote:

We booked four tickets for our family and spring break in the early part of the year. We received a text literally two days before our flight was to leave that our flight was cancelled! I was driving at the time of the text. I got home and called customer service. I was on the phone for over two hours. He could not get me on a different flight and told me I should have called earlier! It is not easy to drop everything and book a flight. They couldn't get me on another flight except from a different airport. He said he put a ticket on hold for me and I could think about it. I called back the next day to see if any changes to any flights opening up from the same local airport versus 8 hours of driving to get to an airport. They said I had a ticket booked from another airport. I said that was impossible he said it was on hold yesterday and I would have time to think about it. The rep told me they don't put tickets on hold and that rep booked it. We had friends going with us, who got changed to a different flight but we did not! We ended up cancelling with SW and had to rebook with Delta. I paid over $2800 for FOUR one way tickets because Southwest couldn't accommodate us on a ticket that I had reserved months in advance. I am so disappointed in how I was treated and how much I ended up spending on four one way tickets with another airline. Lack of customer service was really disappointing.  Has anyone else experienced this? Is this how they typically handle things? 


Well, that is a truly unfortunate situation. It's tough to get a flight cancelled during the spring break rush and then have to pay the "walk up" price on any airline. That being said, Southwest can't give you seats if it has no seats that it can give you.

 

Reports are that the airline is providing 5 day notice of MAX8 related cancellations. Since yours came at you two days in advance, maybe it was for some other reason.

 

In any event, maybe the airline should be making cancellation decision much earlier to

make it's passengers' lives easier.

 

I'd suggest you call customer relations and tell your story. I'd ask for travel vouchers of maybe $200 per family member. You could use them on a future SW flight. You could also ask for a refund on the cancelled flight. The phone number is 855-234-4654