Southwest Airlines Community

Assigned seating takes away much of the benefit of early boarding so why go to the trouble of faking it? Huge incentive on SW so that’s why so many do vs other airlines as you note. Other airlines you pay for aisle, closer to the front etc. whereas SW you request early boarding ... View more

We're sorry for letting you down. As a peer-to-peer support forum, we aren't equipped to assist you here, but we recommend reaching out to us via the options in the link below.    Submitting a Suggestion and/or Complaint ... View more

Thank you so much for the information.  You are correct, the verbage on page 23 matches to the answer I was looking at from here.  I didn't realize that we have access to the contract of carriage.  So that is indeed very helpful.   Thanks again, and I hope others can benefit from this as much as I am.   Eric ... View more

She can certainly get a Rapid rewards Credit card and get points from that or her own rapid rewards account. but as SWDigits said I would not transfer points as it cost money (last time I checked it cost $10 per 1000 points with a 2k minimum to transfer points and even more expensive to buy points) but you can use the points in your account or hers to book flights for anyone you want.    -Blake  ... View more

The 24 hour legislation is not an across the board full refund, but it's too complicated to bother explaining here, just be aware other airlines might have slightly different policies. Thankfully Southwest keeps it simple. And the autofill could be a function of the phone, not just based on who was logged into the app. Again, not a simple across the board answer to this.   --TheMiddleSeat ... View more

@StaticLine life is crazy, thanks for posting the update and glad you had a good flight. ... View more

@Flying_Slug wrote: @SWDigits wrote: I think those are good questions, I would be curious to hear how Southwest responds to your note.  Any chance you are able to return to share your boarding experience out of SJC?   There are two different threads I've seen that are relevant to your concerns:   https://www.southwestaircommunity.com/t5/Boarding/SWA-is-testing-loading-from-the-front-and-rear-of-plane/m-p/82885?advanced=false&collapse_discussion=true&q=swa%20is%20testing%20loading&search_type=thread https://www.southwestaircommunity.com/t5/Check-In/We-purchased-earlybird-checkin-and-when-we-got-on-the-plane/m-p/72756?advanced=false&collapse_discussion=true&q=we%20purchased%20earlybird%20checkin&search_type=thread Hello SWDigits (and everyone else). I completed my round-trip this week, and here’s my update.   It turned out that my flight was not affected by the 2-door boarding system being tested at SJC. I overheard the beginning of an announcement for a nearby gate that was using that system, but I couldn’t listen to it because by that point I was already boarding my flight.   On the round-trip flights, the baggage drop-off agents & the boarding-gate agents & the flight attendants were all friendly and efficient. On one flight, the pilots gave us 5-minutes’ notice of “minor turbulence” that they anticipated would last for a few minutes, so we were all ready for the “ride” and it was all over within that timeframe. The flights landed no more than 5 minutes later than the scheduled arrival time. My checked suitcase arrived at the carousels without damage. These are the important things that make Southwest my preferred carrier for domestic flights.   However, I have not heard a peep from their Customer Service folks, even though over a week ago I sent them an e-mail (requesting a reply), about the original questions I posted here. So, perhaps that’s an area for improvement at Southwest.   I’m still confused about how the 2-door boarding system is supposed to work. I wish to avoid being “the one”    passenger that slows down the boarding process for everyone else. I strongly wish Southwest communicated clearly (with an easy-to-find video on their main page, perhaps?) how this system works.   Happy flying to y‘all! Flying_Slug I imagine this is my last update on this topic. I’m writing this, mainly, to give credit to the SWA employee who eventually did e-mail me. Thumbs up, and love, to Cindy G. for taking the time.       After my last post here, I received an e-mail from Southwest, with: 1) apologies for not replying before my travels had been completed, 2) a statement about how the 2-door system helps to save valuable minutes to keep the operation running on time, and 3) an assurance that my questions/concerns would be passed on to the Senior Leaders.   Still, no direct answer to my question about HOW the dual-door boarding system physically and chronologically plays out at the boarding gate(s).   I wish the Senior Leaders would direct their tech teams to create a video to post on the website, to show how this works, the same way there is a video showing the regular 1-door boarding process.   Southwest is selling boarding position upgrades at the gate for “just” $30-$50, so clearly they know that passengers value boarding positions and the processes that affect them. It really shouldn’t shock them to hear me ask how this boarding system impacts the benefit of boarding order.   If you send me an e-mail prior to my flight, telling me you’re trying something new at my departure airport, please: 1) anticipate that I will want to know how exactly the new system works, and 2) have a basic but informative response prepared. Telling me you’re trying something new, without operationalizing the details of how the new thing works, doesn’t help; and telling me afterwards that you’re forwarding my concerns to your higher ups does not answer my question either.   I really am surprised that my question is apparently so challenging that it remains unanswered and needs to be passed on to Senior Leaders. Come on, folks. I know Southwest can do better. Please keep being transparent. Your customers expect it. ... View more

@chgoflyer wrote: If it's important to you to have a specific seat when you fly, your best bet is to fly a carrier who assigns seats. This was our situation for several years.  Happy to be back. ... View more

The idea is sound, however I've found that Southwest tends not to allow super-long layovers in most cases. If you find one available, go for it.    2.5 hours won't be enough to see much of Vegas though. It sounds like you've been to Reno before so there wouldn't be much attraction for getting offsite to gamble. Maybe you'd have time to uber to Mirage, eat a Carnegie Deli sandwich or some other favorite outlet, and then head back to the airport.   Instead if you wanted a longer layover, book your day as one-ways, you should be able to re-check bags to Reno four hours in advance which would give a little more time. Being able to dedicate a couple of hours would be worth walking around one of the resorts of your choice.   Attractions in the airport - if American Express customer take the tram to D-gates and visit the Centurioun Lounge if you like food and drinks, it is included with Platinum but I belive if space is available you can purchase a pass which would be about the same as two taxis to the Bellagio and back.   There is another lounge right in the same area of D-gates as well. Ruby's diner there is also an upgrade over anything in the B-C concourses that Southwest inhabits. Allow 20+ minutes to get back and forth from D-gates to the B/C concourse.     ... View more

Two additional point of reference (*edited to add never in bullet point two below):    I don't know of any travel insurance products that will kick in for a 55 minute delay.  I am not affiliated with Freebird and I've *never used their product, but they advertise a service that rebooks you from a disrupted flight when there is a four hour delay. ... View more

For future reference, Southwest sells an Infant Fare that is fully refundable. This fare is, however, much more expensive than the Wanna Get Away fare purchased online (it's a discount off of the Anytime fare, and you must call in order to purchase). ... View more

@goldstar56  You can also try the "chat" function within the app if you're on hold on a different phone (or put your phone on speakerphone while you try the app). ... View more

Southwest sells 3 main fare types, Wanna Get Away, Anytime, and Business Select, plus a few others like Senior and Child. While Wanna Get Away fares are the cheapest, they lack the full refundability of the other fares. Anytime fares are cheaper than Business Select but lack the priority boarding and free drink Business Select fares have. As you move from Wanna Get Away to Anytime to Business Select you also earn significantly more Rapid Rewards points. Those are the basic differences. If price is your main factor, Wanna Get Away is your preference. If being able to cancel your flight and get a cash refund is important than Anytime or Business Select would be your preference.    Full details about all the fare types can be found here: https://www.southwest.com/html/air/fare-information.html   --TheMiddleSeat   ... View more

@Daniel_1993 wrote: I am planning on bringing a longboard on my upcoming trip and plan on checking it without putting it in a bag. Would I have an issues with checking this? You do realize that a naked board will likey be subject to more baggage handling abuse than one clothed in some kind of bag? ... View more

I noticed it this morning, too.   80,000 points is pretty impressive.   $5000 spend threshold though. ... View more

Thanks everyone!  We'll go with the new card for her option. ... View more