Southwest Airlines Community

Question on top of a question, I suppose. Do you ever find it to be the case that a flight that connects through a city is cheaper than a one-way nonstop to the city itself? If I wanted to go to Denver, would it be cheaper to fly to LAS through Denver than to fly directly to LAS? I've always wondered about this. ... View more

Apologies to hear about that experience! If the delay exceeds three hours, contact Customer Service (or keep an eye on your inbox) for a gesture of goodwill. ... View more

Yeah, I’m not so sure about sleeping there - be sure to check to make sure that they don’t escort everyone off the airside at a certain time because I know that they do that for certain airports.   You could not pick up your bag from baggage claim but that increases the risk of someone mistakenly taking your bag. I would get the bag, especially if you’re staying overnight. It’s a completely different story if you want to get your bag an hour late because you wanted to eat at some airport restaurant but leaving it overnight can cause a lot of issues. Most likely, you’ll be able to get it in the morning at the BSO if you show ID but I wouldn’t risk it. ... View more

I don’t think trainees will typically get mandatory overtime but it does exist, especially on some PM shifts with extensive delays. It’s happened a couple times before.   Also, it’s so nice to hear about your experience as an OPS Agent! It’s definitely a really fun position! You’re basically running the show! Have fun at TOPS! Take a lot of pictures! ... View more

Gate agents swipe cards to process transactions for when you want to upgrade boarding, change your flight (fare difference applies for WGA fares), or pay for special services such as a pet carrier. There is an option to enter the credit card information manually; however, whether or not a gate agent will do that is up to them. ... View more

Theoretically, you can book on Southwest.com up to 1 hour before your flight is scheduled to depart. Those aren’t when the prices are the best though.   If you know you’re going to fly out that day, I would book an Anytime fare today on the flight you have your eyes set on. The Anytime fare can be cancelled and refunded to your original method of payment up to 10 minutes before departure.   The good thing is, if you check the prices on Southwest.com every day, and you see a lower price than the one you paid for the Anytime fare, click Change Flight on your reservation and you’ll actually have the fare difference refunded to you between the price you paid and the new cheaper price. This refund can also go to your original method of payment. (unless you are paying using a Southwest Gift Card or travel credit)   So booking today allows you to secure your spot on the flight while also giving you the flexibility to cancel and get a full refund (only with Anytime and Business Select fares). You also don’t have to worry about paying extra since you can get the fare difference back if that price drops. ... View more

You should plan to arrive at the airport no later than 1 hour prior to departure, although I would personally arrive 1.5-2 hours prior. You can check your baggage up to 4 hours prior to departure. Airport information is here, listing the opening times for the ticket counter to check your bags. Fort Meyers' ticket counter opens 2 hours before the first departure. TSA should open at around the same time (around 3:30 or 3:45), or earlier. ... View more

Southwest has changed to a new applicant tracking system. In the old system, once an application is withdrawn from consideration, the applicant is unable to re-apply to that position. I’m not sure how it works with Workday, but I would try to contact your recruiter if you’ve been assigned one or with a contact that you have at Southwest who may be able to get more information for you or direct you to the right person. If you inadvertently withdrew, I’m hoping that they let you re-apply. Best of luck and let us know how it goes! ... View more

Oakland is a little closer to Berkeley (and you don't have to go through the SF traffic). Southwest has a larger operation in Oakland than in San Francisco; unfortunately, I don't believe there is a non-stop from Oakland to San Antonio, so you will have to connect. As far as flying United goes...good luck with that lol. ... View more

Try the reset your password form if there is one. Southwest switched to Workday for applicant tracking, so you might need to set up that account to see your status. ... View more

It might take time for the Upgraded Boarding tracker to update. If you upgrade again, it might charge you if you already did 4, but you should confirm that for the 4 upgraded boardings you did, the charge posted to your credit card and that it was reimbursed on the statement. ... View more

Yep! Be patient with the process - you have not been forgotten about! 🙂 ... View more

A number from the Dallas Crew Base should start with (214). If it is a recruiter conducting your phone interview, it could be any area code, as they are from all over the nation. ... View more

You'll just have to be patient with the process. You might not have gotten an email response because they have no new information for you at the moment. ... View more

Hello! Have you checked your Candidate Portal for a status update? ... View more

SWALife > Click Employee Services > My Life Events (on the menu at the top) > Becoming a Parent > "Adding a Dependent to Nonrevenue Travel Privileges"   It'll be through WorkPerks (the benefits system) where you can enroll your dependents, and it will automatically go over to the non-rev booking system. ... View more

@TheMiddleSeat wrote: I would argue unless you are planning to travel at a peak time (holidays, spring break, etc) don't book when the schedule opens. My observation is fares tend to come down after a bit. With points bookings there's no harm in booking early and checking frequently to re-price since points are easily refunded, but a cash booking leaves people with travel credit they may not want. Lately the sweet spot for low price with my flights has been about 3-4 weeks prior.   --TheMiddleSeat Thanks! I also had that question! ... View more

You might have booked a reservation and canceled it which is why it is still pending. Usually those will clear up in a couple days. If it does not go away and actually posts to your card statement, you should have the bank look into the transaction. I’m assuming that it will go away since there is no record of it when you called. ... View more

On vaccinations: At one point, it was required as Southwest is a federal contractor but it has now become part of a gray area. I believe it is requested that you provide documentation of vaccination when you apply for a position, but Southwest does provide accommodations for various exemptions to answer your question. Your recruiter might be able to inform you on how to request an accommodation through the hiring process.   Hope this helps! ... View more

Hi! What’s your question? If you’re referring to the “Seats Available” column, yes, that shows availability when making a non-rev listing. ... View more

There's not really anything special for the applicant when an employee refers someone. Applicants are reviewed the same as others, and the review process/turnaround for the CS&S position is quite lengthy because of the interest in the position. Stay patient, and don't forget to follow up - you got this! ... View more

The flight attendant might have been frustrated with an excessively long boarding time, but that's no excuse for a two-hour delay. Taking it from their perspective is also important. Sure, flight attendants work for the airline, but delays hit them as well and delay their schedules. It may not have been professional for them to blame the passengers, but delay situations are difficult for everyone, and it places stress on everyone (including the people who work at the airport). Flight attendants do not get paid during delays, and if a plane is sitting on the ground with the door open, they are not 'on the clock.'   Hopefully, this gives more insight into their perspective. ... View more

@QuineSinckclear wrote: @TheMiddleSeat   --TheMiddleSeat How can I get better seats without paying extra?   @TheMiddleSeat Check in exactly 24 hours before departure - even if that means setting an alarm at 5:00 AM. ... View more

The server is supposed to assign boarding positions sequentially in the order of check-in. In an ideal world, it would assign them by who checked in first (by the smallest unit of time), but even if people hit check-in at the same time, bandwith issues (such as internet connection/range) could delay it by a millisecond. The server can also handle a certain number of requests at a time (and the server will order the requests by time), hence why you might see a loading icon for 1-2 seconds after clicking check-in.   Either way, if this were to happen it would probably be exactly 24 hours before departure. You can't check in earlier, and you have to know that whatever boarding position you get is the best boarding position that you could have gotten - there's nothing else you could have done to change it - at this point, it's out of your hands. ... View more

If you aren’t getting EarlyBird, check in exactly 24 hours before departure (set an alarm to check in on the dot). That’ll help you secure a good boarding position. Southwest does not assign seats but does assign boarding positions or the order that you board the plane. If you board earlier, there’s a greater likelihood of you getting seats next to each other. I personally don’t think Early Bird is worth it if I can just set an alarm and check in on the dot for free. ... View more

Airport jobs require SIDA clearance. If you’re looking into a job where you work at a Southwest station (customer service, ramp, OPS), you’ll need to pass a background check. You’ll also have to sign an affidavit about any history. Here’s one of those forms that lists disqualifying offenses (this one is for Houston but all airports throughout the US have the same standards): https://www.fly2houston.com/sites/default/files/2020-06/badge_disqualifying_crimes_list_tsa_06_27_12_updated_7_10_15.pdf   ... View more

Depends on the mileage. With St. Louis to Vegas, they’ll probably offer snack mix and drinks (and probably seconds if you ask for it). To Hawaii, they’ll likely come around with two snacks/beverage services. On the flight to Hawaii, they’ll offer you seconds if you request it. This all depends, though, on turbulence as snack/drink service can be suspended if the captain deems that it is unsafe for flight attendants to be moving around in the cabin. Also, I would recommend bringing snacks, a sandwich, or eating in Vegas or STL before your flight since Southwest planes are only stocked with drinks and pouches of snack mix - nothing like a full meal onboard. ... View more