@SoCalFlyer97 wrote:
The Tropicana has a vintage stained glass ceiling spanning a large section of its casino.
...
As lots of people are petitioning, I hope the building inspectors and workers can find a safe way to move and salvage this piece of Las Vegas history. I think they can and can speculate that's the reason why the workers were in this area looking at the back-end of this stained glass window piece, but I'm not an engineer and I can't state whether or not they will be able to save this feature. I hope they do.
Great news @DancingDavidE , @StAugustine and everybody:
Back when I prepped this trip report, I was among the countless number of people hoping that the historic Tropicana's vintage stain glass ceiling would be kept given its rich history. I just found out today this art piece will be saved 😊.
According to a local media report published yesterday, Airk Knowles, Vice President and General Manager of the Tropicana confirmed to KSNV 3 News LV channel that a company came into the hotel, safely de-installed and crated the entire window piece for storage with no damage. It's not going to be torn down.
https://news3lv.com/news/local/tropicanas-iconic-stained-glass-ceiling-removed-amidst-baseball-stadium-preparations
That's all we know for now. Where the stained glass ceiling ends up remains to be speculation, but what is not speculation is that it got saved from total demolition. Most likely, we'll get to see it again somewhere. Where exactly? A museum? Another Vegas hotel? New A's baseball stadium? The SW Terminal Concourse at LAS?--okay, that last one is wishful thinking...
We'll have to wait and see.
Regarding the hotel's celebrity restaurant, still haven't found any confirmed updates or reports as of yet of whether the Public House restaurant will reopen elsewhere in Vegas which I think would do well because the food and ambience was great with decent prices.
... View more
@RachelE wrote:
So I had another passenger’s soda spilled onto my Mac book laptop computer by the flight attendant and I was told that the airline is not responsible for a passenger’s carry on belongings. See the response I got below:
“I can certainly understand your lingering concerns and sentiments behind this situation. Nonetheless, we truly do rely on a mutual responsibility from our Customers to ensure that they are aware of the agreed Contract of Carriage which ultimately mentions that we as the airline are not responsible for carryon items.”
Hello!
It appears that you had already reached out to Customer Relations on this and they responded. As this forum is a customer-to-customer message board, this issue unfortunately won't likely be resolved here.
If you believe and witnessed any possible negligence of the Flight Attendant when your fellow passenger's soft drink was being served, try reaching out to Customer Relations again but describe the suspected negligence in better detail. I don't think this will qualify for any damage claim compensation whatsoever under SW's Carriage policy but I would try reaching out again if you saw and believe there was negligence.
... View more
Tuesday
1 Love
@VillareloDallas wrote:
I just purchased a mobility scooter that was advertised as airline friendly. It uses 12V/12AH-2 batteries and folds up to pull like a suitcase. The scooter is 20" wide, 33" long and 41" high when folded. It weighs 88.18 pounds. From what I have read online, I can ride it to the jetway and have SWA take it to the cargo hold for the trip. I believe I could take it on the plane as well, but would need help lifting it to the overhead compartment, if allowed.
I have a connecting flight in BWI with a 2 1/2 hour layover so that would give us enough time to wait for the scooter in the waiting area of the arriving flight and take it to the next gate.
Is there anything I need to make the use of the scooter easy on all parties? My flight departs next Monday from Dallas Love Field. Thank you.
Greetings:
Southwest has an official help page which should help:
https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/article/Battery-powered-wheelchairs-and-mobility-aids?clk=HC_SSR_1252_BatteryPowered
The scooter's power supply will need to have a physical means of power disconnection to prevent unintentional activation of the device during flight.
Before you travel, I would go the link above, print and fill out the linked Mobility Aid Info Form. Also add a note to the Reservation that you will brining the scooter via the Manage Reservation page. Bring the completed form with you to the airport.
On travel day, I would arrive at least 2 hours prior to departure. Southwest also has a page published of what to expect and do when taking the scooter through the TSA Checkpoint:
https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/article/I-am-bringing-my-own-wheelchair-or-mobility-aid
Once you've cleared TSA and are airside, head to your gate and see the Customer Service Agent there to arrange to have your scooter transported. Present them with the Mobility Aid Info Form and let them know that you would like to retrieve your scooter at the jet bridge once you arrive at BWI for the layover and again at your final destination. They will also likely have you preboard too where you'll ride the scooter through the jet bridge with agents assisting you to your seat.
Hope this helps.
... View more
Tuesday
@manilowmaniak wrote:
I am not some rookie here😁. There is nothing normal about a fare dropping over $100. I'll gladly accept it but you cannot fly from the West Coast to the East Coast in August for $148. Just curious what's behind the drastic drop.
As @dfwskier mentioned, it's typically based on the market but sales can also influence the pricing too.
For example, later this summer toward the end of June, I have a return non-stop flight booked from AUS to LAX. Originally paid $189 for WGA when I booked in February. Price later dropped to $160 and I rebooked. During a "Low as $39 Sale" that took place during the first week of April, the fare dropped to $120 which I assume was in conjunction with the low fare sale. I locked in the $120 fare.
I checked WGA pricing just now for this flight and it is currently pricing at $255 (w/ a red "3 left" marker). That tells me the flight is filling up with the $135 difference in fare to what I paid for despite the fact that the departure is still more than a month out. The aircraft is a 737-8H4.
The route's late night non-stop departure at 8:40pm is currently pricing at $145 with a few connecting flight options throughout the day pricing at $154.
... View more
Tuesday
2 Loves
@willjoh wrote:
Hello, I have a flight from BWI to Nassau, Bahamas with a 50 minute layover at Orlando (MCO). I've tried to search all over Google to see if that's enough time. It seems like it's enough as long as I don't have to go to another terminal. Are all Southwest flights in the same terminal at MCO including international flights?
It seems like MCO has a separate terminal for international flights (Terminal C) while Southwest is in Terminal A.
Greetings!
@DancingDavidE should be able to confirm the SW Terminal A layout specifically for MCO but I assume that all departing Southwest flights and domestic SW arrivals occur in the same Terminal A. However, an international arrival that did not have pre-clearance would likely dock at a separate gate area at the appropriate International Arrivals Terminal C that feeds into the CBP Border Inspection Station. Since you're connecting from a domestic arrival to an international departure, I assume this would take place at SW Terminal A.
Regarding layover, the general advice is allowing at least an hour buffer for domestic flights and a two-hour layover time for connections to international flights. I would give myself a larger buffer if the international connection in question was the only outbound flight of the day to the international destination in case of an excessive delay. This can help assure a much more comfortable and stress-free journey than booking a trip with a very tight connection.
... View more
SoCalFlyer97's April marathon of hotel stays winds down with his last two stays for the month.
Next stop was in Tehachapi CA, home to the Tehachapi Rail Loop, rich history, numerous unique restaurants, and a stopover destination in between the San Joaquin Valley and the Mojave Desert. It involved a road trip from SoCal with no flying. However on this forum, I've read numerous customer requests to bring the LUV airline into BFL which Tehachapi would feed directly into. For now, the journey there would be on the ground.
However, SW would still play a role. My trip was a 3-night stay at the Fairfield Inn booked through Southwest Hotels. Regarding pricing, I was absolutely brilliant and decided to misplace my notes that documented the cost comparisons between SW Hotels, Rocket Miles, and the various hotel booking sites versus booking direct for this property. Thus, I don't have any source costing data to share on this stay other than what I paid for for through SW Hotels.
Nevertheless, I believe the SW Hotels' deal I got was good. For this trip, I also needed to purchase an upgrade to a suite for accommodation needs. Being a weekend at this California historic and roadside stopover destination, the amount paid was $562 total after taxes and fees.
However, the Points Plus payout offered a generous 6,000 points for the stay. Long story short, SW Hotels fulfilled the booking process as promised, hotel staff located my reservation, assigned me a suite as purchased, and John Willard Marriott delivered on hospitality.
Throughout my hotel stays, I always take pictures of the room upon arrival not only to photo-document the hotel experience, but to proactively look for and identify any existing damage or defects.
This would include looking for any broken fixtures, cracked floor tiles, linen stains, signs of smoking, or dents. This would serve as evidence that the defects were present prior to check-in as pre-existing. Once the defects are documented, I'll alert these to the front desk staff.
Travel Tip: Much like inspecting a rental car at the airport, be sure to inspect the room--both the bedroom area and the bathroom and document all existing damage if found.
No defects were found during my stay at the Fairfield but some other places where I stayed had visible problems that required me to document and report pre-existing damages. Here are a few:
A cracked TV stand during a stay in Riverside.
This door stopper has seen better days.
And some kind of accident occurred in this motel's bathroom.
I always assume the hotel overlooks damage caused from previous guest or workers. Photo documenting these as evidence on arrival and reporting these to the front desk immediately have helped assure me to not be mis-charged for these defects upon checkout. This is a "travel insurance" that SoCalFlyer97 subscribes to.
Last hotel stay for the series takes place in Redlands at an independent drive-up motel with loads of boutique extras often found at traditional hotels. Plus, SoCalFlyer97 gets a little surprise when he needed to go to the local library prior to check-in time to use the WiFi.
Stay tuned.
... View more
Friday
Friday
@jcusackjr wrote:
Costco has the SW airlines gift cards on sale again, $449.99 for $500 gift card!
@jcusackjr Thanks for the tip!
I checked it out and my Costco also showed an additional $20-off e-delivery on top of the $50-off deal for today. That added up to 14%-off my next $500 worth of Southwest flights in addition to any Southwest %-off or low-fare promos.
SOLD!
Travel Tip: Most Gift Cards are delivered within 1-2 hours of purchase but could take up to 24-48 hours of processing time for the e-delivery. Keep those redemption codes in a safe place so nobody else uses them. I store these and any flight credit confirmation codes securely in a password manager.
... View more
a week ago
a week ago
Greetings everybody!
SoCalFlyer97's April '24 hotel lineup made its next stop last week with a Southwest flight from SAN to LAS, a stay at Vegas' 'haunted' Apache Hotel, followed by a stay at a Wyndham property near ONT. Flight was booked during a local "Hightail it outta town" sale--$39 each way.
On departure day, my ground transport ride passed by SAN's New T1 construction site which is coming along nicely:
The departing flight was aboard Plane #N7735A, a 737-700, was on time, about 95% full, with 3 pre-boards.
During the TSA screening, PreCheck's metal detector prompted a random inspection of my shoes which turned out to be a simple process; the agent simply had me remove those and run them through the x-ray machine. It was random because, my shoes have no metal and I've worn the same pair aboard numerous flights.
Passing by the threshold that separates two contrasting climates: SoCal's under the clouds at about 65-70 degrees. The heat of the desert at LAS where the sun shines...around 85-90 degrees.
Once at LAS, I took care of what I needed to do and headed over to downtown. Before I checked into the Apache, I went over to the block directly north of the Fremont Street Experience, in front of a lesser-known Vegas hotel to get a view of a place that I saw on numerous occasions on my Super Nintendo Entertainment System:
Back in the 1990's, the game Vegas Stakes featured a fictional hotel called the Golden Paradise which had an exterior that I later learned was based on the Sam Boyd's California Hotel in real life:
I have to admit that back when I was kid playing this game, I always thought that the video game's rendition of the Golden Paradise was based from the Golden Nugget but it's actually based from the lesser-known California Hotel.
Time to head over to Apache.
The hotel's so-called 'happy haunts' may have very well been playing around with Apache's hotel listing the last few weeks on both SW Hotels and Booking.com...or maybe not.
One week prior to the stay, I attempted to do a routine price check and I found that the hotel was not listed on either site. In fact, the Booking.com page for the Apache returned the error "This property isn’t taking reservations on our site right now. But don’t worry, you can find tons of other nearby properties right here."
My first thought was hotel was sold out, but that was debunked after I noticed prices elsewhere on the booking portal market showed plenty of availability. I called up the Apache to make sure my reservation was still on their computers, and it was...All good there.
After I got off the phone with them, I was glad the room reservation was still a go but was really confused. It appeared that something happened between the hotel and Booking.com; thus I checked Apache's sister hotel, the Four Queens on both Southwest Hotels and Booking.com...not there with the same error message! I think Apache's 'haunted spirits' were up to something. Not really...It turned out that none of TLC Casino Enterprises' hotels were showing up on Booking.com and their affiliates but were showing up on the other portals. Thus, I think there was an issue between the two groups regarding new reservations.
Anyway to make a long story short, my original Southwest Hotels booking with the Apache was just about as low as it was going to get, reservation was not impacted, check in went smoothly, $100 incidentals hold, no resort fee, and there were no signs of any ghostly activity during my entire stay. I did let the front desk clerk know that none of TLC Casino Enterprises' hotels were showing up on Booking.com or Southwest Hotels when I arrived; hopefully they get this resolved real soon because one can often find good deals in Old Vegas for generous points. Paid $58 total for the room after all taxes/fees in return for 500 points; to compare, booking direct was $59; lowest total rate on Trivago was $58.
Just be sure to bring some earplugs or utilize some white noise to filter out the Fremont Street partygoing from below.
Return flight to SAN the next morning where it was 30 degrees cooler was scheduled to depart LAS on time at 9am.
It was aboard plane #N919WN, a 737-700, left the gate on time, about 70% full, with 5 pre-boards. Plane was held on the tarmac for about 20 minutes due to plane congestion at SAN (Air Traffic originally quoted a 40 minute wait and passengers were allowed to get up but cheered after learning the wait was going to be much shorter than anticipated). Flight also recovered most of the lost time thanks to a straight and direct route.
Later that evening after I completed my day's duties, I head over to the Wyndham Azure Hotel near ONT, a former Ayres Suite property. This served as a halfway stop in between my hometown and my destination for tomorrow further up north. Nothing eventful happened here and Southwest Hotels did what it promised to do.
Paid $106 total for the stay in return for 600 points, booking direct was $100 with loyalty, and Trivago's lowest price posted at $125.
By the way, vintage elevator fans will like the Azure. The lifts have vintage fixtures and elevator chimes that actually ding with real bells.
Next up: A 3-night stay at a Marriott property in Tehachapi followed by a single night stay in Redlands CA to wrap up this series.
Stay tuned!
... View more
a week ago
a week ago
@bballflyer wrote:
Looks like SW is starting to roll out the points plus cash option to a limited number of people. The initial exchange for points does not look appealing and wonder what the purpose of it even is except to maybe provide an option for infrequent travelers who have very limited points a way to use them. I hope that the exchange isn't what will be reflected when using full points to book a flight.
Thanks for the update. I'll have to check out the options for my routes once they're available.
... View more
@ckillham85 wrote:
It has come to my attention that MotoArt has made and Southwest has finally released the collectible Herb luggage tag to its employees. I’m a hue fan of Southwest and Collector of PlaneTags. If anyone happened across any would they be willing to help me purchase a few?
Greetings!
Not sure whether the tags you describe are exclusive for SW employees only or will be for sale for the general public later. I would reach out to the manufacturer of the PlaneTags:
https://planetags.com/pages/contact
I would also ask them "Where to buy" too if they don't offer this style for sale directly from their website.
Best wishes in your search!
... View more
a week ago
@rubyredvette wrote:
Diane on Flight # 5043 was Great. She made sure my wife got back to her seat during some turbulence and made her feel very comfortable and cared that she was safe.
Great story!
Would return a kind favor for Diane. As this forum is customer-to-customer, your compliment may not reach her department. Would you forward your comments directly to SW Customer Relations:
https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/email-us
Click on "Compliment", "Inflight Experience"
This should help ensure your letter gets processed. Thanks for sharing it though. LUV hearing positive stories from my fellow travelers.
... View more
a week ago
a week ago
@dfwskier wrote:
Looks like th commerial side of the field has minimal damage. The general aviation side did not fare as well.
https://twitter.com/Omaha_SarpyWX/status/1783996715449590231
Saw the pictures just now. Prayers to all those impacted. Great to hear that there was no serious impact on the public/commercial side.
Be safe!
... View more
@James97 wrote:
How does southwest do hiring for their maintenance technicians for their Hobby maintenance hub, I've been trying to keep an eye one when they are hiring but they never seem to be hiring for Houston anymore and I will be getting out of active duty air force in the next two months.
Greetings! Thanks for your service to the Air Force and defending our country!
I assume SW hiring including the positions that you mentioned is done through the SW Careers portal. To receive up-to-date hiring information by text message, I would subscribe to the SW Talent Community if you haven't done so yet:
https://careers.southwestair.com/jointalentcommunity
Appreciate your willingness to serve!
... View more
a week ago
1 Love
@mm_case1 wrote:
Hi SWA,
Ever consider adding cat videos to your entertainment? On a 2hr flight an can use some.
Thanks for your consideration.
-m
Greetings!
This cat thinks this is a nice idea for inflight entertainment even though she has no plans to fly...
Please reach out directly to Southwest Customer Service and copy+paste your request there.
https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/email-us
Click on "Comment/Question", "Inflight Experience", "Inflight Entertainment"
SW Staff should be able to relay your email request to the appropriate department as this message board is customer-to-customer and cannot process service suggestions. As a customer, LUV the idea though!
... View more
@dylpickle85 wrote:
It is CRAZY to me that our Southwest.com accounts do not have Two Factor Authentication to better secure our reward points. These points are REAL MONEY and this is entirely unacceptable that Southwest does not have better means to secure our accounts. People are getting their reward points stolen - just search these forums and see!
I have been a card holder for 10 years and am canceling as a result. This is ridiculous and unacceptable. I will NOT leave my MONEY (reward points = CASH) in an unsecured online account.
Hello!
I agree some sort of two-step verification needs to be done. I believe the airline is currently aware of this as I've seen repeat instances of this situation mentioned on this forum in the past.
If you've noticed a possible fraudulent Rapid Rewards points debit transaction in your account and the transaction was for a flight, please reach out directly to Southwest Customer Service as soon as possible if you haven't done so yet as this message board is customer-to-customer based and cannot investigate claims nor process your request for a two-step sign in process. Staff should be able to secure your account and if the fight in question hasn't been taken yet, staff should also be able to void the transaction in question.
https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/article/More-phone-numbers-contact-options
I would also file a police report for any fraudulent transactions made to your account as hacking into an account to access one's points without their consent would constitute theft. Likely that law enforcement may not 'catch' the thief right away but having a police report in hand would document as evidence that the transaction was fake.
Hope this helps.
... View more
a week ago
@Urkman69 wrote:
Good morning,
The airport in San Diego is under expansion and I anticipate Southwest will be hiring more people at some point. I am signed up for the career announcements but have not seen anything. I realize it is probably still early, but does anyone known when they might be starting to hire in San Diego?
Greetings!
This frequent flyer is following construction of SAN's New T1!
To receive up-to-date hiring information by text message, I would subscribe to the SW Talent Community if you haven't done so yet:
https://careers.southwestair.com/jointalentcommunity
Indicate that you're interested in "Airport Operations" as your area of interest and "San Diego-Carlsbad" as your city.
... View more
2 weeks ago
@DancingDavidE wrote:
What's MPC?
Mobile Passport Control
https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/mobile-passport-control
For those without Global Entry, this is the next best option to get through a CBP Border Inspection Station at participating airports. I'm aware that HOU participates:
https://www.fly2houston.com/newsroom/articles/mobile-passport-control-program-comes-houston-airports
... View more
2 weeks ago
2 weeks ago
Greetings everybody!
SoCalFlyer97's April '24 hotel line up makes its next stop in Corona at another Marriott property dubbed the Residence Inn. Let me be upfront and forthright: This was probably one of the best 'luxury' deals I ran across on Southwest Hotels. That's because rooms at the Corona Residence Inn are Extended Stay, full-fledged single bedroom apartment-style suites with a full furnished kitchen complete with dishware, and separate living space. Room Rates can often run in excess of $200 per night plus taxes/fees/parking at this hotel with the maximum rate being a full grand.
However, when I did my hotel shopping last month for this area for a Friday night's stay, Southwest Hotels posted a rate in addition to giving away 1,000 points that not only beat the competing booking sites but even the standard room rates at nearby competing hotels.
Residence Inn Marriott, Corona (prices shown include $10/night parking and all taxes/fees, free cancellation) Southwest Hotels: $177.58 / 1,000 Points RocketMiles: Not Available Direct w/ Loyalty: $187.41 Trivago Lowest Price: $196.32
Essentially, the SW Hotels rate was $10 less than the loyalty rate, $19 less than the lowest price offered by Trivago, and I got back a nice 1,000 Rapid Rewards bonus. And for only $177.58 total on a Friday night, SoCalFlyer97 spent the night in a furnished luxury suite.
Spoiler alert: My remaining hotel reservations for this month April won't even come close. This is as 'luxurious' as this series will get until Southwest Hotels offers something else like this for my future needs.
Anyway, check-in at the Marriott's Residence Inn went smoothly with no glitches whatsoever with Southwest Hotels. Reservation was found. Incidentals deposit was $150...a little high for a single night but considering that I'm basically renting an apartment for the night, this high amount for the hold was understandable. As mentioned, the hotel charged $10/night for parking with the hotel issuing a paper dash permit. Even with tolled parking, the deal was still great.
How about an A1 boarding spot aboard the lift too...okay, it was only me waiting for this ride.
Sheltered from the cool breeze through Santa Ana Canyon means a warm dip in John Marriott's pool.
And yes...hot breakfast on the house!
Next on the Line Up: SoCalFlyer97 returns to LAS with a planned stay at the Old 'haunted' Apache Hotel once again.
It looks like the happy haunts supposedly dwelling above the Binion's Casino may have been playing around with Apache's hotel listing the last few weeks on both SW Hotels and Booking.com during a routine price check...Did they manage to 'break' to booking site? How did SoCalFlyer respond to this "ghostly" encounter?
Stay tuned for those reports.
... View more
@bec102896 wrote:
@SoCalFlyer97
Love the report
im curious does your job have any corporate accounts with hotel chains and might save you money (assume you work for a large company if you have to travel) of course earning the SW points is nice but if you can lock in status with Hilton or Marriott is always a nice plus
any plans for using all these earned SW points from the hotels? Vacation?
My employer is a small business and has been trying to get some corporate rates at our local hotel near the office. For now, it's on me.
Several of my flights and hotels are also personal-related to, thus the dollar's on me.
I always like the flexibility of shopping in between brands and independent locations because there's been times when the big chains either cannot accommodate or will be priced too high. That was the case last month:
https://community.southwest.com/t5/Rapid-Rewards/March-24-Southwest-Hotels-Stay-Report-Garden-Grove-near-SNA/m-p/170234
Regarding plans of redeeming the points: For now, it will be for flights and I booked one during last weekend's SAVE25NOW promo. Excited to see how the hybrid Points+Cash option will work as well as seeing its point redemption value as booking a flight through this option does count as a Tier flight toward A-List/ALP.
... View more
@KevinTraveller wrote:
Hello, I left my laptop at Gate C31 in Denver on Monday evening, April 15. I was told by the Santa Barbara baggage claim employee to contact a supervisor at Denver baggage claim office at, as they have the laptop. I opened a lost report, and provided the description and serial number. I have left several messages, can someone please contact me? Thanks!
Greetings:
Here's the link to the Southwest Baggage Claim Web Portal:
https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/article/lost-damaged-delayed-baggage
As you have a claim number, this would be your go-to place as this forum is customer-to-customer comprising of your fellow travelers who don't have the ability to review your claim. This will need to be resolved directly with airline staff.
If you left messages in this portal and received no reply, I would follow up by clicking on the "Need more assistance" button and contact Southwest Customer Service again. You can also try contacting DEN Lost and Found to see if it was turned in there:
https://www.flydenver.com/at-the-airport/services-and-amenities/lost-and-found/
Scroll down to the bottom of the page under "Contact Us" and call the posted number.
... View more
@skosco wrote:
I recently had a Tia and am having continuing problems with dizziness and vertigo. Do I qualify to preboard.
Hola!
I'm not an MD but from my limited knowledge of this symptom of being dizzy, vertigo could either be seen as an annoyance or cause for disability depending on the severity of the symptoms or actual cause in conjunction with the treatment response. Your doctor would need to make that determination.
Preboarding is available prior to general boarding for travelers with disabilities who need a specific seat to accommodate a disability, need assistance boarding the aircraft, or need to stow an assistive device.
Source Ref: https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/article/preboarding
You may have a good cause for qualification depending on the severity of your dizzy symptoms and your treatments and whether it would impact your ability to board during general boarding, but it will be up to the Customer Service Agent at either the Check-In or Gate counter to make that decision. Best wishes for good health.
... View more
Hello Everybody!
SoCalFlyer97's April '24 line up of Southwest Flights and Hotels continues with a 3-night weekend stay in Norco CA which is a short distance to ONT. As most travelers know, both airfare and hotel rates during the bookends of the calendar typically price higher and my place of business was no exception.
Thankfully, Southwest Hotels powered through Booking.com allows me to shop around for deals. Most cases, I can lock in terrific rates combined with huge Rapid Rewards payouts. Other times, the deal is not so great. And I had a small case of that when I booked this stay.
When I did the initial search of the area for the nights required and reviewed the Free Cancelation booking options, a top-tier, independent regional hotel located just south of Norco popped up as a Points Plus property for $580.75 after taxes/fees for the weekend with 5,000 points. I was tempted buy this; 5k is a lot of points. This hotel had solid ratings. However before I finalized the booking, I do a price comparison just to make sure--and I was glad I did:
Ayres Hotel Corona East (All prices include Free Cancellation, taxes and fees): SW Hotels: $580.75 / 5,000 Points RocketMiles: $589.82 / 4,000 Points Direct: $493.62 Trivago Lowest Price: $493.62
While the 5,000 points was generous, so was the mark-up which added up to $87.13 more than booking direct which appeared fair at first considering 5k CP-Eligible Points is a nice payout but the tradeoff was a bit on the high side in my opinion. RockMiles' deal had even a higher mark-up; a $96.20 mark-up than booking direct for 4,000 points. I opted not to buy this and went back to the Southwest Hotels search.
Travel Tip: Make the time to price-compare not only different hotels but the different booking portals to lock in the best deal.
Time for Round 2. The next hotel that popped up on the list that grabbed my attention was a Fairfield Inn & Suites for $483.07 after taxes/fees for the weekend.
Upon reviewing, the location was more convenient, rated well, supported free cancellation, and the hotel amenities were right on par with my first search:
Fairfield Inn & Suites Riverside Corona/Norco
(includes taxes/fees): SW Hotels/Rocket: $483.07 / 3,000 Points Trivago Lowest Price: $483.91 Direct: $545.97 w/ Loyalty
You read that right...for this listing, Southwest Hotels had the lowest price of the booking site competition and offered 3,000 Rapid Rewards points. SOLD.
Check-in at the Marriott's Fairfield went smoothly. Incidentals deposit was nice too...Only $20 per night; $60 held for the stay. Free guest parking was on the honor system; no need to submit plate numbers or place a ticket on the dash.
And nice hot breakfasts too for free.
Between this stay and my previous stay at the Corona Holiday Inn, the combined points received was enough to redeem a one-way flight from SAN to LAS to take place later this summer. I would consider the Southwest Hotels Points Plus deals if you're looking for points. Just remember, the points credit into the Rapid Rewards account after the stay and normally takes about a week for Plus Points properties.
Next on the Line Up: SoCalFlyer97 has training in Corona once again with another good deal locked in at another nearby Marriott property followed by a separate upcoming Southwest trip to LAS. Stay tuned for those reports.
... View more
@65gt350 wrote:
I applied for a Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card through Chase over a month ago and their customer support is horrible. I never heard after about two weeks, so I contacted them by phone. After going to several support personnel they asked me to send additional verification documentation to verify my identity, which I did. Still no follow up from Chase. I called today and got passed around several times without resolution as they told me I need to reapply. I have been using Southwest for 10 years and have excellent credit, so the only issue I have is with Chase and their support. I am hoping this gets to someone with Southwest and find another credit card company to support this program as I will not apply with Chase ever again.
Hello!
I would try this page: https://www.chase.com/personal/credit-cards/education/basics/how-to-check-credit-card-application-status
Go to "How else can I check my credit card application status?" and try the phone number there instead of their general customer service number. If Chase still comes back and advises you to re-apply, I would first try to verify if the first application was even received and processed. If Chase is unable to verify this for you, you can also check your credit report for the hard-inquiry regarding this application to be sure. The same article shows you how you can check this for free or you can go here.
https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/free-credit-reports
If you applied through the mail, I would give them at least another week to respond as it does take the bank some time process paper applications.
... View more
3 weeks ago
3 weeks ago
@cardmary wrote:
Yesterday, April 17, 2024 i was on a flight from LAS to MDW. We landed at approximately 3:45 pm. our baggage was not delivered to the carousel for over an hour and one half!! Clearly something went wrong from the time we landed til baggage finally showed up.
we were told a person handling our plane's baggage had just walked off and no one took
his place!! that's rather hard to believe, but if so, it's rather incomprehensible.
is there anything Southwest will be doing to compensate?
thanks
Greetings! I would email or send a DM via Twitter/X to Southwest Customer Service directly and see what they can offer as this message board is a customer-to-customer forum and we are not equipped to process customer needs.
The local area weather in Chicago reported thunderstorms and high winds which could have impacted ground crew operations; persons working outside are normally directed to take shelter inside if lightning is detected at or near the airport which may have described why the persons handling the luggage left the area. Not sure if that was the cause of the delay of your luggage but worth checking.
https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/email-us Click on "Comment/Question", "Baggage", "Delayed Baggage".
... View more
3 weeks ago
@h2obio wrote:
thank you! I'm flying business class so I hope it won't be an issue.
Business Select gets A1-15 boarding; thus, you should be all set and be one of the first to board.
Safe travels!
... View more
@SWMegan wrote:
Is there a way to determine what flights a promo code applies to without randomly picking destinations and dates? I've never managed to use a code because I always get the "not valid" banner and I can't figure out if it's the dates, routes, or what.
Greetings!
Make sure that you are first logged into your Rapid Rewards account, then go to Southwest.com homepage. From there you should see the SAVE25NOW promo. From there, click on the "Book by Monday" button to select the city pairs and dates. Note that there are some blackout dates, the promo is restricted to Continental US travel only, and the flight must be booked with Rapid Rewards points only with the taxes/fees paid for by cash.
On the "Select Flights" page, the green highlighted cost reflects the flights the promo code is applied to:
E.g. In this screen, a Friday flight from SAN-LAS on June 7 has the first three morning non-stop flights discounted. The three midday options starting at the 9:35am departure are not.
Hope this helps.
... View more
3 weeks ago
1 Love
@h2obio wrote:
will my 4' rod tube fit in the overhead?
Greetings!
This was asked before a few years back. See: https://community.southwest.com/t5/Travel-Policies/Fishing-poles/m-p/51914/highlight/true#M825
It is addressed in the Contract of Carriage:
Oversized articles of reasonable carryon size that protrude from only one side of the sizing box or chart and, because of their fragile nature, would be at greater than normal risk of damage if carried in the cargo hold (e.g., blueprints, map tubes, fishing poles, artwork, media cameras/video equipment) are considered personal type items and may be carried in the passenger cabin if remaining onboard space permits and the item fits in an overhead bin without depriving other Passengers of sufficient overhead bin space.
With that being said, in reference to the linked thread, you'll want to make sure you'll have early access to the overhead bin to ensure there is space available. If you don't have A-List, the thread suggests ensuring that you check in right at the 24-hour mark, or purchase Early Bird Check-In or Upgraded Boarding if available. The Agent working your gate should also be advised to let them know about your need.
Hope this helps!
... View more
Greetings Everybody!
SoCalFlyer97 continues his April '24 line up of Southwest Flights and Hotels. The next leg of this journey takes us from ONT-OAK and back for some business with same-day return, booked during a Wanna Get Away Sale--$39 each way. I was able to lock in this sale at my convenience airport at ONT which is a rare treat.
The departing flight was aboard Plane #N8578Q, a 737-8H4. On time with two pre-boards out of Gate 404--don't get yourself caught with "File not found" here.
Flight was only 34% filled; that meant everybody spreads out. In fact, only ten people were permitted to sit in the first ten rows of the plane; everybody else in the back. What was really nice was the plane had blue beacon lights indicating where passengers were allowed to sit. That meant if the seat offered the Blue Light Special, it was up for grabs.
The San Antonio Reservoir gleams in beauty near the Dublin area during final descent.
After taking care of some business, I took the BART into San Francisco and went into Fisherman's Wharf, thinking, "Hey, it's mid-morning in the middle of the workweek...This place won't be at all crowded...". I was wrong.
It turns out that not one but two cruise ships made stops in the bay and flooded the zone with tourists.
With the Ruby Princess docked at Pier 27 and the MS Europa 2 at Pier 35, it looked like a typical weekend crowd. And I took a glance at both of those ships and there were some tourists onboard both; thus both boats were in full service.
BART's train status monitors in downtown San Francisco getting modernized...My ride back to OAK will be an 8-car train due in four minutes...Nice!
Taking the BART Beige Line cable APM into OAK costs about three times than it would taking AC Transit Bus 73 from the Coliseum BART Station. Ordinarily, I would take the bus to save on ground transportation expenses...
Except...in this case...let's spend the money and take the quicker route! By, the way everything looked peaceful from above Oakland's Hegenberger Road. Back in January, this area was receiving all kinds of national media attention and business closures due to widespread property and vehicle crime at the gas stations and restaurants back then.
The return flight was on a 737-700 aboard Plane #N202WN. On time departure and about 65% full. Four pre-boards.
It was not cloudy above San Francisco. That meant great views at the 10,000' mark.
Up next: My 3-night hotel stay in Norco CA...not too far from ONT which involved some questionable Southwest Hotels Points Plus deals that originally popped up during the booking phase. Stay tuned for those reports...
... View more
4 weeks ago
4 weeks ago
Hola!
Sorry to hear this happened. As this forum is customer-to-customer, we as fellow travelers unfortunately cannot follow up on your lost baggage claim nor process how Southwest responded. I assume your husband received File ID number as you mentioned that he reported the missing bag immediately upon noticing it missing:
Below is the link to the portal via the SW Help Center: https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/article/lost-damaged-delayed-baggage
If your bag is still not found after the fifth day, I would go ahead an initiate a full claim through the portal.
Regarding how Southwest responded to your inquiry and possible misinformation or miscommunication received about the police search of the video footage, I would forward your comment to Southwest Customer Relations so that it can be processed:
https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/email-us
Click on "Comment", "Baggage", "Lost/Delayed Luggage"
... View more
4 weeks ago
2 Loves
@lammeldj2024 wrote:
I took 4 flights in 1 week this April. I used to be a Business Select customer since I travel for work over 20 weeks a year. My business had slowed last year so I lost my Business Select status. My complaint though is, on all 4 of my flights, there was no Wi-Fi. 2 of the aircraft I was on were 737 Max 8's. You would think being newer aircraft, WiFi would work. I even asked the flight attendants each time if the WiFi wasn't working and they said they would look into it but never gave a response. I am thinking about changing airlines since I have heard that most flights with United have WiFi and tvs in their seats. For not being Business Select anymore, I think having Wifi would be a better flight experience.
Hola!
Sorry to hear of the Wi-Fi failure on your last four consecutive flights. As this forum is customer-to-customer, we as fellow travelers will not be able to process your comment here. However, Southwest Customer Relations may be able to help you:
https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/email-us
Click on "Comment", "Inflight Experience", "Entertainment/Services"
... View more
Loves Given To