Southwest Airlines Community

"I'm sure to choose a flight with the same price"   It's rare in my experience to have both flights be the exact same price. There's almost always a difference, but without specific flight details we cannot know for sure why you are seeing a 'difference' in price when you check out.    --Jessica ... View more

I want to state that I used the term, "bailout money." when I expressed my thoughts.  In no way did I mean that as a negative.  What I want to correct is; SW used money set aside in the COVID Relief funding specifically for businesses like SW to continue to operate and not layoff or furlough employees.   ... View more

@jksobonya wrote: I was enrolled in this promotion and my account still has A-List and it is good until 10/30/20 unless I meet the requirements to extend it. ...it's doubtful, at the rate things are going, but you never know 😉    --Jessica Hi Jessica. It depends on    1) How many segments you flew before he virus hit and 2) Ho many segments you plan to fly between now and 10/1.   SW gave you 10 segments as a head start.   Don't forget that you can double up by booking 2 one ways to a destination   as opposed  to one flight with a connection. Doing so is sometimes cheaper than buying the connection.   I recently booked a multi city DAL/MCI/MDW that ended up being $10 cheaper than a connection on the very same planes. ... View more

This is great!!   --Jessica ... View more

The flight deals have been amazing! I have booked a few Vegas trips with leftover travel funds, who knows if any of them will actually happen due to quarantines and etc., but one of them is scheduled for late August and I'd love to go. I think that no matter what, I'm going to go to Vegas for NYE for the first time ever and say GOODBYE to this year Vegas-style 😉    --Jessica ... View more

@KMT405 wrote: That is OK and thanks for telling me! But I don't plan on applying any time soon. I was just curious as this is my dream to be apart of the Southwest team!! I suspect that that SW's requirements would mimic those of the FAA requirements for a commercial pilot's license. Those requirement indicate that some types of color blindness do and other types do not preclude a person from getting/keeping a commercial license.   https://news.eyeque.com/2018/09/12/vision-requirements-for-pilots/   My personal view is that the ability to ascertain both red and green would be a requirement. Planes have green lights at the end of their right wings and red lights on the left wings. When you are flying at night and a plane appears in front of you , you can easily determine whether the plane is flying towards or away from you. If the red light is right of the green one, then the plane is flying towards you. If the green light is right of the red one, then the plane is flying away from you. So the inability to ascertain red and green would make it impossible to determine the direction of any plane that might happen to appear in front of your aircraft.   Of course that is my personal opinion. ... View more

Yes - I have been having trouble looking up flights at all. No matter what departure or arrival cities I enter or what date ranges I enter, I get an error: Sorry, we found some errors... We are unable to process your request. Please try again. If you continue to have difficulties, please contact a Southwest Airlines® Customer Representative at 1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792). Error detail 1: 6fc8d2a3-8a6e-4861-baa8-53edcba80b05 : 403999999   The low fare calendars aren't working, either.   --Jessica ... View more

@Robertlbob wrote: That plane can not be made safe...SW should junk them Pray tell, where did you get your PhD in Aeronautical Engineering?   The reality is that when the MAX returns to service it will be the most studied, evaluated, and tested plane in the sky -- and thus likely the safest plane flying. ... View more

You can see the complete list of Southwest COVID-19 procedures here:    https://www.southwest.com/Coronavirus/?clk=CORONAVIRUS_TA&cbid=4430033   --Jessica ... View more

Right now...  no way.  With 33% less passengers on each flight, overhead baggage room is plentiful.  And with every southwest seat being equal (minus the overwing, front, and back rows), there really isn't any value in Early Bird. ... View more

Typically when they show the lowest fare on the calendar view there is only one flight (or two) with that low price - the rest are higher 🙂 Not every flight is going to be that 'low fare'!   --Jessica ... View more

@neicymae wrote: Seeking info on social distancing.   Flying to California with my family of 6.  Can't find definite response  Through July, Southwest has promised to sell only 2/3rds of the plane, effectively allowing for empty middle seats, to address social distancing needs. As a family, however, you can sit next to each other if you desire, including in middle seats if necessary. Masks are currently required onboard. Hope this helps! ... View more

I agree once you think you might travel, book the flight.  I've gone in a week later and seen a price drop, and rebooked and got the difference refunded.  It doesn't happen very often, but it does happen.   ... View more

@bguzman wrote: It was my understanding from previous blogs that I was  not going to incur in any charges.     This would be the case if:   1) you did not cancel your flight and wanted to move your flight out by up to 60 days. You can modify your flight up to 60 days out completely for free.  2) you canceled your flight and used your travel funds to purchase a new flight and that new flight was equal or less to your travel fund balance. If your new flight costs more, you have to pay the difference.   In either case, Southwest does not charge fees to change or cancel your flight.   Thanks,   Jessica ... View more

Thanks for sharing your story. Sadly those drink coupons are no longer valid. There was a big lawsuit and Southwest replaced coupons that didn't have expiration dates with coupons that had expiration dates. Cool collector's stuff though.    Here's the story   --TheMiddleSeat ... View more

That list is only relevant if you book late.  If I book 2 weeks out, then I might get a wanna get away price, meaning less populated.    Understanding that it's not just, breath, that you can contract it from, all could be on hands, clothes, (we now know shoes track the virus in), and so on.  In most cases, I'm sure all people will take precautions with not touching you, but inadvertent touching and rubbing happen.  I've had a middle seat and have gotten accidental contact from both sides.  Unless gloves are passed out as you board and discarded as you exit, there can be a contraction of the virus that doesn't come from a breath or a cough.    I'm not taking sides, (well a little bit) but I'd not sit next to someone right I didn't come with, sorry.  You do have a point, and we appreciate your comment. ... View more

@Titanium89 wrote:     By the way.... how many millions of $$ has Southwest and other airlines received from the federal government to help them during this time?  I guess they are more than happy to receive help, but no way in .... will give refunds BACK to people that have paid for flights before the world as we knew it changed.   Tricia Well Trish   First of all I'm sorry to hear of your difficulty. Southwest is doing exactly what every airline in the business is doing:   a) refunding tickets when the airline cancels the flight b) issuing travel funds (vouchers on other airlines) when the passenger cancels a ticket   It is well known that if airlines were to try to refund all nonrefundable tickets, that all of them would go bankrupt. It's going to happen to some of them anyway.   Oh. and that money you asked about, it's in the billions for all airlines. It's must be used to pay workers salaries thru September instead of firing thousands of them now. ... View more

Southwest has never given me a bit of hassle in getting a refund. In all the cases that I have asked for one, I have gotten it in 3 days. DOT guidelines are 7 business days. When I pointed that out to United, they said it would take more than 30 days.  ... View more

It's possible that not all food options will be open at the airport, so I would suggest bringing a few snacks with you to tide you over. I've purchased those "P3 Protein Packs" at the grocery store and they normally come with a type of nuts, cheese, and jerky. When I don't have time to pay for a meal, it hits the spot. Here's the official site where you can find all the varieties: https://www.proteinproteinprotein.com/    A word of advice would be if you do bring your own snacks, have them out of your bag as you go through security. I've been slowed down and searched before because the scanners don't recognize what's in the food packages, so it's a good idea to have them out so the TSA agents can easily see what they are.   --Jessica ... View more

That's what happened to me @bec102896! I contacted Southwest on social media and they changed my flight for me, it took a few minutes! I should check again and see if it's still on schedule, I haven't gotten any more notifications and it's a month away. I suspect I'll end up canceling it anyway, but ... I keep holding out that things will turn to normal sooner rather than much, much later 😞    --Jessica ... View more

Has Southwest been cancelling a lot of flights? Yes. Yes they have. 🙂    --Jessica ... View more

Perhaps you didn’t read the solution. A refund is an option for flights canceled by Southwest. Here is the info again:   If your flight was canceled by Southwest, you have a few options: you can rebook your flight, get travel funds, or ask for a refund. You need to contact them and ask (but you should have received an e-mail with this information).    If *you* canceled your flight, not Southwest, your options are to rebook or get travel funds, which are good until *2022*. Let us know what other questions you may have.   —Jessica ... View more

Contact customer relations to plead your case.   Maybe you'll get a refund, and maybe you won't.   If you don't get it there you won't get it anywhere.   I'm done talking with you. ... View more

I suspect access to the larger "hubs" is less disrupted. ... View more

I suspect these points will be just like points you purchase, non tier and not CP qualifying.    --TheMiddleSeat     ... View more

Def an interesting read! Check it out here. ... View more

Story of my life! However, some #Vegas hotels (specifically, the Wynn) have potential plans to open back up as early as late May/June. It's hard to say what will come to pass though, as things are constantly changing.    --Jessica ... View more

I'm so glad that you received an acceptable answer to your concerns.  I am a long time loyal Southwest customer and I ALWAYS feel like they have my back and appreciate me as a customer. Their customer service is BEYOND compare in my book.  ... View more

@mikegrant wrote: I agree. I just filed a complaint with the DOT and FAA. I am also writing to my US congressional representatives. I had a flight scheduled this week and due to travel restrictions needed to cancel. I asked for a refund due to a flight being unavailable on my return. They told me the flight was unavailable because the flight was full. Southwest is lying to customers and playing games with their flight schedules to force people to cancel a flight before they do. There are flights tomorrow that are showing "unavailable" that are cancelled. I am not letting this go. If my return flight is cancelled I will be filing another complaint with DOT and FAA.   Southwest accepting Billions in public money 💰 to stay solvent but refusing the refund peoples money that they may need to pay for food and other necessities is abhorrent.   Unfortunately, it is true that carriers -- including Southwest -- are playing a game of chicken with customers right now, hoping the customer will cancel before the carrier does.   Here's an article with some examples. It's euro-centric, so the flyer rights section doesn't apply, but the rest translates well to current domestic carrier actions we're seeing.   The Evil Cancellation Game Airlines Are Playing With Passengers…   I was recently on Euro News discussing airline cancellation issues, and there’s a key distinction when it comes to your passenger rights. If the airline cancels, you’re entitled to a refund. If you cancel, even if travel isn’t possible, you’re left with nothing more than a voucher, at best.   This conundrum is leading airlines to play evil games with passengers, refusing to cancel flights until the last minute, in hopes of coaxing passengers into cancelling on their own. The reasons for doing so are huge, but the ethics behind it are questionable at best…   All around the world, airlines are intentionally not cancelling flights until the very last minute, or informing customers of “schedule changes” rather than cancellations, specifically to avoid refund rules.   In recent weeks, The United States and European Union each reiterated legal guidance to airlines that if a flight is cancelled, a refund must be offered – not just a voucher. Following the guidance, too many airlines are now choosing to play games with their schedules, to avoid the ruling.     Remember that, with Southwest, you have up until 10 minutes prior to departure in which to cancel and not fall victim to the no-show forfeiture. With phone lines jammed and reports of being unable to change or cancel some itineraries online, I wouldn't wait that long myself... I'd recommend checking on the morning of travel.     ... View more

Ah - My mistake I thought his travel was for May and July of this year and he had booked the travel well in advance with the funds expiring in January 2020. In that case he could’ve made a modification.   I mean you can do the Contact Us form to see if corporate will do anything for you but don’t hold your breath. ... View more