07-18-2018
02:04 PM
07-18-2018
02:04 PM
@jackiereed6 wrote: Could you rebook your flight with residual travel funds and instead of cancelling it, just change the flight and pay fare differences for the dates needed? Ex: I have to rebook my flight before 8/22/18, but I need to fly 8/24/18-8/26/18. If I book a flight that is before 8/22, can I then change my flight to the later dates and pay the fare difference? Not cancel it, but just change it. Will they say I can't because the funds expire, even thought I booked the dates to fly before it expired? I just hate that the funds would expire literally days before I need to use them. I don't fly much, so it's a shame. From what I have seen on here, SW doesn't seem to budge on extending, also, paying $100 to extend would literally defeat the purpose of extending since that's more than half the cost of the flight cost. (Hopefully that made sense?) That does make sense, but unfortunately the answer is no. The system won't let you book (or change to) any flight that takes place after your funds will be expired.
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The latest schedule opening announcement is always under Travel Tools on the Southwest website. (Unfortunately, you now have to search for it -- the direct link is no longer on the main page.) We are currently accepting air reservations through March 6, 2019. On August 16, 2018 we will open our schedule for sale through April 7, 2019. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.
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@Andinola wrote: ...You better hope it does because I am so ticked off right now. Cheapskates. Put some staff on machines when you clearly have bottlenecks in your ticketing. No excuse for my bag to not make it when it is your fault. Did it make it? Sorry to hear that the check-in wasn't running smoothly. They use the "contact us" web interface so that emails don't get lost or misdirected by emailing to a specific email address, some customers may typo the address and never know that the email wasn't received, etc. You can also use Twitter if you are on that particular platform for what is likely to be a faster response.
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07-17-2018
01:59 PM
07-17-2018
01:59 PM
You can obtain your boarding pass (You don't have to print it. You get get it on your phone) any time after the 24 hour in advance mark and before you get to TSA.
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07-17-2018
09:11 AM
07-17-2018
09:11 AM
Hi again, Rae. I fully understand why you want to fly other airlines that have fares significantly cheaper than those offered by Southwest. In similiar situations, I do the same. Since you apparently like fliying with Southwest, you might just want to occasionally check SW fares in the future to see if the situation changes. Have a good week.
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07-17-2018
07:56 AM
07-17-2018
07:56 AM
Hi again. The fact that booking.com hasn't contacted you is pretty disappointing. I'd advise e-mailing them, AND slamming them on twitter, facebook, YELP, and any other on-line rating platform you can think of. Bad public press does wonders in encouraging companies to be responsive. I fully understand why you never want anything to do with the company again, but it appears this was your first bad experience with it. Only you can say whether or not this experience was so aggregious that it deserves "one strike and you are out." Booking.com finally did rectify the problem, admitedly at great discomfort to you. 10,000 points spent on a wanna get away fare is roughly worth $150. Only you can say whether or not your experience was so distasteful that you are willing to forgo that type of opportunity in the future.
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07-16-2018
05:51 PM
1 Love
I tried it but the $100+ fare difference wasn’t worth it! I was flying from MDW to LGA with a connection in STL. Both flights from MDW had the same connection flight so I was wondering if I could take the late one to reduce my layover from 4 to 1 hours . I asked and it Didn’t work ! But it was fun trying
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@Salay38 wrote: What is the purpose of zoning by numbers and letters if at the end you can sit where ever you want? On my fight this past weekend to New Orleans from Orlando, we ever told to board by zone letter then stand next to our zoning number. We were a group of 4, in zone “C”, when we finally boarded, the plane was at full capacity, and our seats were taken! All 4, when I politely asked about my seats the guy in my seat said, “ the flight attendant said we can sit where ever we want” As mentioned in the other response - it isn't "zoning" like the other guys, these are boarding positions - they will also be referred to as "groups" - and no seats are assigned. I'm sorry to hear that the boarding process wasn't clear, I hope you give Southwest another chance now that you have been exposed to the boarding process.
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@Mikerose wrote: Can't access account log in area of web site. Message flashes that site is undergoing maintenance and is not available. It has been 48 hours, and does not seem reasonable Morning. I just tried and got right in. So the site is not malfunctioning. You might want to try a different browser or clear cache in the one you are using. Rebooting your computer might help, too. These actions have helped me in the past when I've run into spurious messages. Good luck.
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@jntway wrote: Jacksonville was my final destination, I live there. I did not have a ticket to continue on to Baltimore. My ticket was MDW to Jax, not MDW to Baltimore. Hello. I suspect that something got messed up in the automated (I presume it's automated) notifiction system. I've had flights cancelled when the second leg (that I really was on) of my flight was cancelled, but never when a second leg (of a flight I WAS NOT ON) was cancelled. It sounds like you were pretty badbly inconcenienced with a 2 hour dirve drive to and a 2 hour drive from Midway - all for naught. Then you'll have another trip to Midway for your rescheduled flight. That doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun. I d on't know whether the company would offer any compensation for your trouble. It might be worth asking the quetion. Also they might be able to explain what happened. You can contact SW by phone, twiter or e-mail. Here's how: Hope you have success. https://www.southwest.com/contact-us/contact-us.html?clk=GFOOTER-CUSTOMER-CONTACT-US
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07-15-2018
04:19 PM
07-15-2018
04:19 PM
"Are you wondering if you can see what date is the cheapest from A-B? If so there is the low fare calendar where you can view cheapest dates " THAT is the best way to find the lowest fares, IMO. Checking more than once is also a good idea as SW fares do go up AND down. The problem with using the published fare sale information is that the lowest fares sometimes are below the fares shown as the sale fare. For example, I regularly fly from Dallas to Chicago, and from Dallas to Denver, and I can almost always find fares lower then the stated "sale" fares between those airports. The only way that is revealed is via the low fare calendar. Signing up to receive fare sale e-mails is a good thing to do, but you need to dig a bit deeper. edit add: there is one exception to what I've said, and that exception is if SW runs a "distance based" fare sale (ie flights up to 499 miles cost $X, flights from 500 - 749 miles cost $Y , etc). Note that not all flights will be priced as such but SOME will be. These fare sales normally are a good deal. Southwest has historically run sales like this a few times a year. Interestingly the one that was run a few months ago, was not mileage based. So Southwest may have decided to not do this any more. We'll have to wait for the next one to see. Good luck.
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07-15-2018
01:45 PM
07-15-2018
01:45 PM
@treichelm wrote: thanks for the prompt reply, I figured that was likely. Hopefully you and/or your wife are able to use the credit before then for full value. Good luck!
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07-14-2018
08:31 PM
07-14-2018
08:31 PM
Are you traveling with a trained service animal, or an emotional support animal? The requirements for transporting each type of animal are different. Documentation is not required for trained service animals, but at check-in the agent will ask some factfinding questions to determine if your animal qualifies. The requirements for travel with an emotional support animal are very specific: Current documentation (not more than one year old) on letterhead from a mental health professional or medical doctor who is treating the Customer's mental health-related disability stating: The Passenger has a mental or emotional disability recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – Fourth Edition (DSM IV) The Passenger needs the emotional support or psychiatric service animal as an accommodation for air travel and/or for activity at the passenger's destination The individual providing the assessment is a licensed mental health professional or medical doctor, and the Passenger is under his or her professional care AND The date and type of mental health professional's or medical doctor's license and the state or other jurisdiction in which it was issued Complete details are available on the Southwest website: Customers with Disabilities > Trained service and emotional support animals (Click on Assistance Animals in the left-hand column.)
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Southwest is always evaluating new routes! Those decisions are made based on demand and availability, and viability of the route. It helps to know we'd have at least one Customer onboard for that one though! Thanks for weighing in.
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@DancingDavidE wrote: Southwest (and the other guys too) will try to accomodate someone in what is informally known as the "flat tire rule" - however this depends on your mom arriving at the airport within an hour or two hours of the scheduled departure, or if she won't be arriving at the airport then she must contact Southwest right away. If she no-shows a WGA fare then the funds are forfeited. No-showing a refundable fare will get you travel funds, or strangely enough a points booking will be returned to your account. She can calso call up to ten minutes before the scheduled departure to cancel or change the flight, and make pro-active re-booking but this would be at the current fare pricing as opposed to the flat tire rule which as far as I know would be an even exchange of tickets on the next open flight. (Even if it is the next morning.) I hope it worked out for her and that she was able to arrive at the airport or at least contact Southwest to avoid a no-show situation. Sorry that I didn't see this yesterday either as I was already on the road for my flight from Midway. Hope it worked out for your mom. For others who might search the forum in the future: David is right, the best thing is to get to the airport even though you've mised your flight, however ... At the very least, a call to reservations explaining the problem and asking to be allowed to go out the next day would be in order. I know the airport staff can be accomdating, but I'm not sure about the phone people. Cancelling would have eliminated this option and would have caused you mom to pay the much higher (normally) same day walk up fare. I used the flat tire rule 4 or 5 summers ago in one of the few times that I allowed more than enough time to get to the airport in Denver. (hours more than normally needed). Denver flooded, Although Denver is not home, I know Denver pretty well. I tried multiple alternatives to get around cars on flooded roads. Nothing worked. Southwest put me on another flight even though i was using a Wanna Get Away fare and no showed. In my case it was the "flloded city rule" instead of the "flat tire rule.
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@rtbarron wrote: Getting rid of peanuts? This is heresy!!! If you allow this, what's next?!? Getting rid of the "club" seating area at the front and middle of the cabin? Repainting the beautiful ochre, red and orange fuselage? Not using numbered plastic boarding cards? I feel like I'm losing the Southwest of my youth!!! You forgot to mention free liquor on every flight to anyone over 21, and free donuts and coffee in the morning at Love Field (and maybe elsewhere?) Getting rid of those things might cause passengers to rush back to Braniff.
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Ironcally, I was on the 7 pm Midway/Love field flight last night. We delayed so that a connecting passenger could board -- and then waited a bit longer for that passenger's luggage to make it to our plane. Of course, no one connects in Dallas at 9:15 pm so our delay wasn't going to cost anyone a connection, although our plane was to turn around and fly back to Chicago. So it also was delayed. No one connets in Chicago after midnight either. So the delays affected no connections, which is why Southwest allowed the delays. The delays only affected the airliine's on time stats. We were 20 minutes late. No big deal.
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I have experienced flight attendants requesting for passengers to allow those with a close connection to get off first. It always creates a bit of a mess (but it has come to my rescue more than once).
I have to imagine that asking preboarders to wait seated would create a real mess. And it would be almost impossible to track.
You never know what invisible disabilities or challenges a person has...
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07-10-2018
12:35 PM
07-10-2018
12:35 PM
Great answers, @DancingDavidE and @dfwskier. Thanks for being thorough!
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@Majmm, Tough one, and I have been there and did exactly what you did. Hung out in the aisle as much as possible and tried to (1) pretend I was somewhere else and (2) churn up enough empathy for the oversized person having to sit in the middle. I would venture a guess that the person in the window seat was bigger than you, so the passenger in the middle seat had to make a choice and chose to encroach more on your space than the other direction. As for whether that was the proper thing to do, I could not say what is correct. I just take it one flight at a time. Everyone has to sit somewhere, so that is why I just deal with the occasional oversized flier to whom I might end up against. I do prefer being next to a person of size over sitting behind the gas-passing "fart blossom." But I just mentally deal with that as well and hope that their condition is not permanent. As an A-lister, I board relatively early, so after seeing a substantial number of people board, I often watch the stream of people, make eye contact and a slight hand gesture to the thin person with no rollerboard luggage who may or may not receive and react to the hint I cast out. That move has backfired on me when I ended up next to a perfume covered lady who triggered an allergic reaction/runny nose. She was probably regretting her decision to sit next to me. Here's hoping your future travels are more pleasant, and the good news is that most of them are fine.
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07-09-2018
11:20 PM
07-09-2018
11:20 PM
Be aware that you also choose if your ticket remains refundable or not. "Fully refundable" fares on Southwest become non-refundable if you make any change to the itinerary at any time. Never change, always cancel and rebook any "refundable" fares, in order to keep them refundable.
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07-09-2018
05:15 PM
07-09-2018
05:15 PM
As mentioned: Yes, as long as you make no changes to the itinerary at any time. This cannot be stressed enough. "Fully refundable" fares become non-refundable if you make any change at all. This includes things like upgrading an Anytime fare to Business Select, or changing things like the departure time or day. Always cancel and rebook any "refundable" fares.
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07-09-2018
02:29 PM
07-09-2018
02:29 PM
This would seem pretty unfortunate. I've never run into this situation. I can't imagine all opassengers for the flight would fit on one bus. Thus it would seem to make sense to me to take all a-listers out on one bus, then b-group on another bus, and then c-group on another bus, with a final bus for any late arrivers. Another rule of thumb probably should be to sit as close as possible to the bus door, so first on the bus could be first off the bus.
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@dfwskier wrote: The only way to insure you get TSA pre every time is to register for it and pay the fee. TSA does occsionally give travelers TSA pre-check free of charge. It does not happen every time someone travels. The process appears random, but I'm sure that TSA has some type of algorithm that decides when a traveler gets the freebe. https://www.tsa.gov/precheck Technically not guaranteed even with the application, but seems to be coming through most times for most people. User error by having your name not match or forgetting to enter the known traveler number when you book your ticket seem to be two preventable reasons that it doesn't show up on peoples' boarding passes.
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I've used a High Sierra rolling duffle bag the last few years, and have been happy. No signs of early onset wear that I can detects and it's probably been on a hundred flights at this point. The potential downside is that it is a bit less wide than a standard roller suitcase. Also it's pretty cheap to buy. My view is that how the wheels are attached is important. I'd stay away from spinners as the wheels stick out from the sutcase, and reduce the allowable volume of the bag (carry on rules measure size of the bag. If the wheels stick out that counts in the measure). I strongly prefer suitcases where there are only two wheels that are incorporated into the body of the bag.
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07-04-2018
03:46 PM
07-04-2018
03:46 PM
At roughly 2,500 air miles, it's within the range of any of Southwest's 737s (perhaps with some payload restriction on the NG aircraft). And with only six or seven flights a day on three airlines, the market doesn't appear to be saturated. The only challenge that I can see is breaking into a market dominated by Alaska (Seattle's hometown airline with an outstanding service reputation) and JetBlue (another airline with an outstanding reputation and an employee culture second only to Southwest). Fares are probably already low given the carriers serving the market. It's certainly worth a try. Maybe they could test the demand out of Paine Field.
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07-04-2018
11:24 AM
07-04-2018
11:24 AM
I would take that over an August flight out of LGA with no AC any day (another airline). Unfortunately, it is a tough situation; I would rather be cold than be delayed. As for the flight attendant interaction; that sound very unlike a SW employee. As other have said, I would encourage you to store your thoughts directly with the airline.
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07-04-2018
06:39 AM
Travel can get tough when you thrown an emergency into the mix! Sometimes, you just have to balance the cost to the need. I see it this way: 1) SW offers so much flexibility for changing flight and keeping fees away or low. If that means they have to be strict on the policies that do make them money, I’m ok with that, even if it sucks. 2) As a parent, I would just want to make it home. Period. I do understand your frustration, however. I encourage you to offer your feedback directly to SW, and I hope your child is back to healthy now!
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@elijahbrantley wrote: And if you aren’t able to track down any email confirmations, call SW, and they will be able to help you find it. Be aware that, unlike in the past when reps could search using the credit card number you used to book, it's now more difficult to get a lost confirmation number via a phone rep. EDITED TO ADD: I just noticed the new wording now being used in email confirmations (below, replaces what I posted above). Apparently Southwest really does not want to look up a lost confirmation number for you. This makes it very clear that it's 100% on the customer to keep track of all their confirmation numbers (and any funds associated with them).
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