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Changed Flight Covid Shelter-in-home

xochitlr
Explorer C

Hello,

 

I tried to change my flight that I bought in January of this year because due to covid 19, quarantine and stay at home I could not travel. Southwest tells me that my ticket expires in 3 days and it doesn't matter if I can't travel because of the coronavirus, they can't do anything for me, nor give me a refund or change it. Southwest is not assisting in this global health contingency. On the other hand, in Volaris, a Mexican airline I made the change without any problem and without paying, they are aware of the global pandemic.
That's right, a Mexican airline (Volaris) is better than Southwest, which is not to be believed.

 

Thanks

6 REPLIES 6

Re: Changed Flight Covid Shelter-in-home

bec102896
Aviator A

Unfortunately Southwest’s policy for extending travel funds expired September 7th. Your best bet now is to Contact Customer Relations after your funds expire and on a case by case basis they may offer to extend the funds for 6 months however there is a $100 fee for this and again it is not guaranteed. This must be requested within 6 months of your funds expiring. 

 

-Blake 

Re: Changed Flight Covid Shelter-in-home

dfwskier
Aviator A

Do you have a link documenting Volaris' refunding tickets where the passenger cancels the flight?

 

The reason I ask is that Volaris' contract of carriage says exactly same thing as every other airline:

 

"Section 4. Tickets
Tickets are non transferable and non refundable:"

Re: Changed Flight Covid Shelter-in-home

gsking
Aviator C

But trips in December weren't even available to be booked in January.   So...?

Re: Changed Flight Covid Shelter-in-home

SWFlyer007
Aviator C

🙄

Re: Changed Flight Covid Shelter-in-home

DancingDavidE
Aviator A

Just to clarify, you had canceled the flight a while ago and the funds are expiring now right?

 

My best advice is if you have multiple funds to make a booking to get them combined so that if you would like to pay a fee and have them RE-issued as vouchers you have them consolidated.

 

Unfortunately you missed the window to have the funds extended during the middle of the year when Southwest was giving longer extensions to travel funds - it unfortunately didn’t retroactively apply if you had already canceled and you have had to book a trip and cancel to get the extension. 

 

Home airport MDW, frequent visitor to MCO to see the mouse.

Re: Changed Flight Covid Shelter-in-home

jksobonya
Aviator A

@xochitlr wrote:

Southwest tells me that my ticket expires in 3 days and it doesn't matter if I can't travel because of the coronavirus, they can't do anything for me, nor give me a refund or change it. Southwest is not assisting in this global health contingency.


Southwest has literally done everything possible to accommodate travelers during the pandemic, including extending travel funds all the way until September 2022. They did this for customer-cancelled flights from March until September - 6 entire months. I am not sure how you missed this information as it was widely communicated. In your situation you should have booked a flight anywhere using your funds between March and September, and then cancelled it, and your funds would have been extended to September 2022. You also had the ability to convert your travel funds to Rapid Rewards points, but that option ended on December 15. 

 

--Jessica