Southwest Airlines Community

The point was that the survey still comes up, so maybe the forum will survive.  However, you're so ready to pounce, you can't consider any other approach.   You don't like it when someone with a different perspective comes here and voices their views.  Incidentally, with my style of leadership and troubleshooting I've become quite wealthy.     So while you call me a troll, I look at my retirement savings and current financial situation and smile.     Maybe you can find another board where everything that you say becomes the final word with no questions asked.  Then you'll be happy. ... View more

The employees of Southwest are likely afraid to speak out their views.  It appears that Southwest is like a communist government, do what I say to do and learn to like it.  Sad. ... View more

Greetings!   I've set up a FlyerTalk discussion thread entitled "Funniest Moments with Southwest Flight Attendants."     It is on FlyerTalk's Southwest Airlines Forum and has generated some lively discussion. Check it out!    What are your funny moments when the FA's took the mic? Join the discussion there and let's keep the spirit of the SW Airlines Community alive!   https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/southwest-airlines-rapid-rewards/2172016-funniest-moments-southwest-flight-attendants.html   Don't forget that SoCalFlyer is now on FlyerTalk, Twitter/X, and TripAdvisor under the same  profile name and with a soon-to-be presence on Reddit.    ..........   Follow SoCalFlyer97 after the SW Community Forums Closes: The SW Community Forums will be retiring effective 9/16; see the official announcement in the headers. SoCalFlyer97 is now on FlyerTalk's Southwest Airlines Forum to answer traveler questions going forward and plans to publish future Trip Reports there in their Trip Report forum. Also currently on TripAdvisor and Twitter/X under the same name. Soon on Reddit. See you there!   ... View more

Yes. $49 from Hartford to Buffalo......in February.  No, thanks. ... View more

Please stop trying to be like all the other airlines. I have always tried to fly Southwest and love the flexibility of open seating. ... View more

Both UA and AA tell me how many life time miles I have on them. Havenl't checked my DL account since I've not flown DL since it pulled it;s Dallas hub decades ago. I do check my Skymiles account every once in a while.  Knowing a SW lifetime number would be nice. - but even that would since RR came about. I had lots of flights before then.   Then there all those "deceased"   airlines that I;ve flown; Braniff, Eastern Ozark, Western Pacific, Midway, ATA , Canadian  - I'm sure there are a few that I've forgotten.   Plus a few on Spirit and Frontier and Lufthansa. ... View more

@sunilpenna10 wrote: Hi   I am planning to book a ticket with 40 min layover in Denver and no plane change. Since I am travelling with 16 months old, I would like to get out of plane and get back in after changing diapers and get some muscle relaxation for infant. I will be travelling with my family of 4. Is this allowed? Double check ahead of time which lavatory has the changing table and ask the FA for a garbage back and you can wrap up the dirties inside a tied-off bag instead of putting it in the general trash.   If the flights are all on time and it is really 40 minutes you can think of this as 10 minutes deplaning, 10 minutes cleaning and paperwork, counting, and transition, and then 20 minutes of boarding and then leaving probably 10 minutes late.   So you don't get the full 40 minutes, you'd realistically be looking at ten minutes to be back and in line to board, with the A group already boarding by then.   Especially if the other two family members are also kids I'd suggest not getting off even if it was offered.   However, stay aware and if the flight arrives on time but gets delayed for departure then I'd ask.         ... View more

The life hack I've learned for solo traveling is don't worry about early bird so much. You can almost always get a window or aisle seat as a solo traveler, even if you are not in the A group. I used to purchase EB, but no longer do. Then again, another hack is to purchase Anytime fares with EB included, so you don't have to worry about it 😄    --Jessica ... View more

I see AI has made its way to the Forum. ... View more

If you have an event that you have to be there for, whether it's a family obligation or an athletic event or a cruise or some other event it's probably best to fly on the day before the event to give yourself a cushion if something does go wrong. ... View more

I disabled my vpn, it worked. Then i turned back on. ... View more

Like I have said before, you can do acrobatics and back flips all the way to the gate, wear a t-shirt that says "I CHEAT THE PREBOARD SYSTEM", give an interview on Fox News about your abuse of the system, then self-identify as a person with a disability - PREBOARD. ... View more

Remember that the plane begins boarding 30 minutes before takeoff, so 50 minutes gives you 20 minutes to get to the second plane before it begins boarding.    I've had to go A-11 to B-13, one end of the airport to another, in BWI and it takes 15 minutes. ... View more

@Scouter68 wrote: Thanks so much that really helps find out Houston and I called Southwest and got some information as well.  So I think I’m set.   Just hard to wrap my head around being at the airport at 2:30 to 3 AM for 5 AM flight domestic but I guess you have to do what you gotta do   Safe travels aboard your first flight. Here's a typical break down of the 2-hour window upon walking into the Departures level of the Southwest Terminal:   Allow about a 30-minute buffer to Check Bags at SW Check-In Counter or speak to an agent if needed. That's in case if the line is long which could happen even at odd hours of the day. That was the case last summer at PDX one day at 5:14am in the morning.     Otherwise 5-10 minutes will do if one just needs to go a self-serve kiosk to reprint a boarding pass but is traveling carry-on only. As Southwest says in the email, these passengers can "carry-on to security".   Allow about a 45-minute buffer to clear TSA in case the line is long or if you get a secondary search. That's preparing for about 30 mins for the line wait + up to 15 minutes to clear inspection in case of any random or flagged secondary searches). This buffer can be reduced to about 15-20 minutes for TSA PreCheck, CLEAR or Priority Express travelers. In most cases, it does not take 45 whole minutes to clear TSA and most airports have multiple checkpoints that feed into Southwest gates, but on busy travel days, the queue can be extensive. On one my trips from PHX last September, the checkpoint feeding directly into the Southwest gates posted a 35 minute wait. However at PHX specifically, one can access the Southwest gates from any one of four Terminal 4's checkpoints that posted much shorter waits, and PHX does a good job at communicating that.     After clearing TSA, 15 minutes is good buffer to locate and comfortably walk to your gate, use bathrooms, and refill water bottles.     The remaining 30 minute buffer is the boarding time prior to most Southwest departures; about 45-50 minutes prior for most other carriers. You should certainly be at the gate ready to go as boarding begins to ensure you'll board when it's your turn to get on.     In the majority of cases, the waits at check-in counter and TSA are not that excessively long and you'll comfortably arrive at the gate typically at about 1 hour prior and be able to use the restaurants and amenities post-TSA, but keep in mind if there's any major hold ups at the check-in counter or at the TSA checkpoint, having that extra time buffer is absolutely necessary as the flight will not wait for latecomers. That's why a 2-hour buffer is advised.     Hope this helps and enjoy your trip. ... View more

I don’t think I would fly if I was that way. Not sure how first few rows will help motion sickness as it’s not like a car. Window may not help either. ... View more

I don’t think SWA has any control over the factory that makes the cookies. However, honey would be a fantastic addition.  ... View more

the last flight I was on the flight attendant got on the PA and said "Hey, did anybody lose this?" Everyone looked up and she goes on "Now that I have your attention, I'd like to go over some of the features of this aircraft....." Not that a lot of people didn't go back to what they were doing, but at least she tried. ... View more

Yes. I have the $69 annual fee card and get 2 EBCIs per year. But in the OP's case when the flight was booked the EBCI window had already closed as it was less than 36 hours before the flight. ... View more

@Artanis wrote: SoCal:  I forgot to say I hope you know how much everyone here appreciates the time and effort you put into assembling your great post along with all of the insightful comments.  We can see that it took a lot of time and effort on your part.  Thanks. I wish I could click the "love" button ten times, I love the trip reports.     ... View more

In my opinion, the abuse of preboarding, family boarding, carry on size and carry on count has destroyed the simplicity of open seating.   When no one can find anymore overhead bin space because George brought his riding mower on board and Betty brings the kids' swing set while Henry brings a wide assortment of cross county ski equipment along with an outdoor barbeque grill, everyone is afraid of running out of space and thus wants on board first.   I have warned Southwest about gate agent apathy of their boarding rules, especially what I see at MCO.   Southwest should examine the video of a random sample of boarding at MCO to see if gate agents follow the rule.  I would say that on every flight, someone violates one of the boarding rules and carry on rules.  Sad.   ... View more

I believe that an independent investigation is in order. ... View more

You are incorrect. This is the story. I requested the police report from the airport because I, too, felt certain I was missing something. I received it last week. The report states the young reporter did not want me removed from the flight and did not feel threatened. This additional information only confuses me more. ... View more

@kristiolive0208 wrote: As someone who is a bag checker, I never put anything in the overhead bins.  How about the people with nothing in the  overhead bins get to deplane first so we don't have to wait for the many travelers with luggage in the overhead bins.  I could be off the plane in less than 10 seconds.   Interesting idea; however, as a frequent flyer, I'm not sure how Southwest (or any other airline) would be able to execute this on a full-sized plane.   For just about all my trips, once the plane arrives at the gate and the captain turns off the seatbelt light, I see many people get up to get their bags from the bins and wait standing in the aisle as the crews dock the jet bridge. Once crews dock the bridge and open the door, passengers usually exit very quickly.    Having the passengers with overhead bin luggage wait in their seats until the bridge is docked so that passengers with no overhead bin belongings could de-plane first would most likely add excessive unproductive gate time to the exiting process (a big no-no in the industry)...and asking people to sit back down to clear the aisle after they collect their bags would not work from a practical standpoint as there would be very limited space in the seat area for the baggage.   A possible remedy for anybody desiring to exit the plane quickly who are not A-List is to purchase Upgraded Boarding (or Business Select) and pick an open seat toward the front of the plane. That way, you'll be near the front and one of the first to get off. However, that benefit may be negated if one has checked bags as I've sometimes seen the baggage merry-go-round doesn't even start until most everybody is off the plane and in the claim area.    ... View more

@bec102896 wrote: Yep if the baby has a paid seat the baby gets 2 bags as well so you could take the baby with you and check the bags that way then just have partner get boarding pass after they park or use mobile pass and head straight for security.  Stroller and car seat also are exempt and don't count if either of the bags was for that purpose. i.e. you and a ticketed baby get four items, plus two baby gear bags for stroller/car seat.         ... View more

BallSportsGear@huacorp,   According to the Southwest website, it may take up to 72 hours for the transferred points to be posted to your Rapid Rewards account. However, some users have reported that the points may show up sooner, depending on the time and day of the transfer. If you need to book a flight urgently, you may want to consider other options, such as paying with cash or using a different credit card. I’m sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you.   Best Regards, Nicholas185Smit       ... View more

You cannot, under the law, require a preboard passenger to be delayed at exiting the plane.  In fact, it would be more logical for them to exit the plane before anyone else.   Keeping a passenger on the plane against their will would result in a lawsuit for illegal detention and arrest. ... View more

Thanks for sharing, @StAugustine! Please check your Community inbox for a little holiday surprise.   Kindly, Carlye  ... View more

I don’t unfortunately, but I emphasized “What’s the point of booking through Chase?!” a few times and explained that SW would allow me to change my flight without issue. I’d keep trying and asking to speak to a supervisor. I’m sorry, and I hope you get this resolved soon!  ... View more

@Vjester7 wrote: Hi all, I am flying home for Christmas and have some Christmas Presents that I need to figure out where to put so all help is appreciated!   I have: -3 small wooden signs -small koozies -bracelets / ring   Thank You!   These sound like checked items to mee unless the bracelets/ring are valuable they can probably be carry on, especially if they are small you won't notice them in addition to your other items in the carry on.   Signs and koozies seems like checking would be easier.     ... View more

I totally agree with you. For my 5:30 AM flights, it is totally worth it. Plus, I just found out that that I get two or three free EBs with my credit card.  Plus, on vacation, I don't have to worry about checking in 24 hrs prior.   However, each to their own.  ... View more