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SoCalFlyer97 is going to chime in as I'm wrapping up my first full year as an A-Lister. I have also completed my 20th flight recently for 2024 which requalifies me through the end of 2025.
I can state for certainty that the A-List perks are saving me some good time and tons of money aboard flights as before A-List, I've had to utilize the WGA+ fare for the Same Day Flight Change benefit (and also Free Standby before it was bundled into WGA last year) and bought Upgraded Boarding whenever I got assigned a back-in-the-B position or further which checking in at 24-hours prior. Sometimes, Upgraded Boarding added $40-50 to the bill but it was well worth it for me back then; thus I bought it. Having not used EBCI, I was also at the mercy of having to stop what I'm doing to check-in exactly at 24-hours prior for flights before getting A-List.
Here's my take of the A-List perks:
Priority boarding: That's essentially free EBCI but being placed ahead of the EBCI group and non-A-List Anytime fares, behind business select, those with Upgraded Boarding, and ALP's. Yes, I have had my share of flights where the plane was full of ALP's and A-Listers had a deep-in-the-A spot but all of my placements have been somewhere in the A-Group except for one trip which was a very early B placement. A-Listers have the "A61" benefit for those who did not get an "A" spot and lately, I've observed A-Listers being cleared to board before Family Boarding and Military.
Still plenty of whole rows of windows and aisles and empty bin space toward the back of the plane for "A61", even aboard through-flights and trips with a high pre-board count.
25% earning bonus: Self explanatory.
Same-day Flight change: I've had to use this benefit a few times and having the "A61" benefit meant not having to be at the mercy of Upgraded Boarding for good seating after making the change nor paying the WGA+ fare for the perk.
Priority Lane and Express Lane: LUV having Front-of-the-line benefits at the check-in counter should I need to chat with an agent following a flight disruption or other matter. Or if I need to check anything. SoCalFlyer97 has Global Entry has not needed to use the TSA Checkpoint Priority Express Lane just yet but you'll never know...Hopefully they'll have the option of feeding the Priority Express Lane into the PreCheck lane one day as they now do for CLEAR as sometimes there's a line for PreCheck. However, for any A-Lister without PreCheck, CLEAR, or Global...this benefit is well worth it!
Dedicated A-List member phone line: I've called them up a few times and like the short hold times.
Also like @parpitt1 Southwest serves multiple non-stop departures daily for the SoCal market to destinations at North Cal, to Vegas and to PHX that no other carrier has.
Is there any benefit in A-list for SoCalFlyer97? Absolutely. No question about it. I'm sure those with ALP status can also share their moments of the added perks too. Do I have a wish list so that it competes better with the other airlines? Yes, but I'm thankful that I'm able to save a bundle thanks to its current benefits.
Hope this helps!
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06-03-2024
12:18 PM
@Manojray342122
Good morning to you too and welcome to the community!
A great early sunrise to greet a Good Morning from a recent flight from ONT to OAK:
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06-03-2024
12:12 PM
3 Loves
@Scouter68 wrote:
We are first time flyers and not a clue on what to do and how.
we usually drive everywhere.
on of us is hearing impaired (challenged)
we did early bird check in and not sure how it works.
need all information I can get.
how early to be at airport for a domestic flight?
I can read a newbie book, not sure where to find.
thank you
Hola Scouter68 and welcome to this message board and your first fight!
When I returned to flying a few years ago, the place I went to was YouTube and searched for "flying for the first time". There's a whole library of great videos from various travelers who share their tips from arriving at the airport to how to go through TSA security efficiently. Note that these tips reflect the opinion of each traveler; thus I would watch multiple videos.
Also, I would search for "flying for the first time southwest" on YouTube. There's videos that explain how the boarding process works which is quite different from the other airlines. One key difference is Southwest has open seating; seats are not assigned. Here's a link to Southwest's official page on this:
https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/article/boarding-process
With your Early Bird Check In purchase, this automates your boarding position assignment 36 hours prior to your flight and ahead of those who would check-in manually. That means, you can finish the check-in process and retrieve your boarding passes anytime after the 24-hour-prior-to-departure mark on the Southwest App or online at the Southwest website. Details here:
https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/article/earlybird-checkin
That being said, one of the best tips I can provide regarding your flight is to download the Southwest App, create an account if you haven't done so yet, and keep a watch for and read the follow-up Southwest emails as they come in, especially the details in your confirmation email that gets sent after you book your flight, and the "What you'll need for your trip" email that gets sent a little more than 24 hours prior to departure. Those will contain specifics including any possible airport-specific advisories.
Also, be sure read up on what to expect and what you can bring through TSA security. https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening
Being a first time traveler, I would plan on arriving at the airport no later than two hours prior to departure. It would be a good idea to study the airport's website and area map to learn where the Southwest terminal is and how to get there. Which airport do you plan to fly out of?
Feel free to ask general questions about travel as this forum consists of your fellow travelers, many of whom fly very frequently. Anything specific to your reservation needs should be handled directly through SW Customer Service.
Welcome to the community!
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06-02-2024
03:19 PM
@HendersonVic wrote:
I have a couple of suggestions to help improve the boarding process for all. My first time here so some of these suggestions may have been offered up already.
To ease passenger anxiety, have two rows of seats labeled 1-60 so passengers can be seated instead of standing on the line. When asking passengers to come up and board, only call fifteen (15) passengers at a time- giving them ample time to walk-in and choose a seat Ask Group B to line and be seated after the A group has proceeded to board. Ditto for Group C. Passengers are less anxious because they have seats which makes waiting to be called a little bit easier.
Of course, those that need extra time be allowed to board first. Then active military personnel. Followed by those with small children, however, they may not sit in any row before the emergency exits over the wings or they can board through the normal boarding process. The next group of passengers would be the A-List passengers (No, I am not an A-List passenger). After that, the normal process to board would take place- again, fifteen (15) at a time. All these passengers would be identified in advance when they purchase their tickets.
Greetings and welcome to this forum.
Feel free to share your thoughts--we always like good suggestions! Just keep in mind that Southwest staff may not catch your suggestions from this board as it is customer-to-customer.
I would forward your suggestion directly to Southwest Customer service:
https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/email-us
Southwest has a pretty efficient boarding process to get everybody on the plane as quickly as possible; that is likely the reason why they are able to get everybody on with the plane pushing back within 25-30 minutes to allow for a 30-minute prior boarding time, even for full flights aboard their larger MAX8 and 8H4 planes. Many other airlines start boarding 45-50 minutes prior.
I agree at some airports, the spacing in between the boarding poles can get pretty tight to form the single-file lines on each side of the poles which I agree should be dealt with to ease crowding. E.g. The C-Concourse at LAS has plentiful spacing whereas the B-Concourse at LAS gets very tight. Same can be said whenever I depart from SAN. When the line gets packed, I'll simply "meet" the people who are assigned in front and behind me so I know who to follow, then I'll go off to the side of the line and wait there. I'll then fall back into the line in between the two persons once it begins to move. I've noticed others doing this too which has reduced crowding.
Having seats in place of the boarding poles is an interesting idea...not quite sure how it can be properly executed or put into practice as it would require more space due to luggage and likely additional time to get everybody moved. Not sure how the airports would favor this as they 'own' the gate area seating, the agent desks and computer hardware.
Southwest's "A61" positions (those who board in between A and B) are in the following order based on my last few flights:
Those needing Extra Time to Board
A-List+ALP not securing A-Positions or "lost" their original Priority boarding Position due to a late booking or same-day flight change or standby. Also same for Business Select but with all A1-15 slots sold out at the time of Same Day Flight Change or Standby.
Family Boarding
Military
These groups just wait near the gate entrance in the pre-board area as the A-group boards. The "A61" spot is fair-and-square in my opinion for these groups. Lots of windows, aisles, bin space, and full rows from the middle of the plane all the way to the back at that point.
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06-02-2024
02:30 PM
06-02-2024
02:30 PM
@Alistflyer wrote:
I was looking to book a trip mid-January and noticed the non stop flights are not available after 1/6/25. Does anyone know if these are going away for good or have seen more flights added later?
Greetings fellow SMF traveler!
SMF is one of my frequent destination airports and the Southwest Terminal B is one of my favorites to pass through with the glass elevators, the Acorn tree near the TSA Checkpoint, and the giant red rabbit watching over the baggage claim area:
This forum comprises of your fellow travelers. It's very possible that Southwest has temporarily suspended non-stop flights for this route after 1/6 due to the aircraft delivery issues related to Boeing as seen on the news. Southwest was expecting to see a fleet of new planes delivered to replace its retiring fleet but the shipment has been held up as Boeing works with Southwest and the federal government to resolve these issues as we've been seeing in the media.
I did a quick check and it looks like there's still a 10:30am departure from SMF to BNA via a through-flight on most days that has one stop but does not require a connecting plane change. Same for the return flight at 8:35am. I would see if this option works for you as a intermediate alternative. If that's the case, I would bring some additional food or snacks upon leaving SMF as the quoted total flight time is about 6-7 hours.
I would also let Southwest Customer Service know directly that you would like them to consider reinstating the nonstop route once the new planes are delivered and in operations:
https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/email-us
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@Mishelly95 wrote:
I paid for early bird check in and have the email confirmation but when I checked my boarding passes they say No under the Early Bird Check In section. Does this happen or did my early bird check in really not take? How would I confirm I got what I paid for?
Greetings:
I'm assuming you reviewed or downloaded your boarding passes electronically before heading to the airport. To first confirm whether you were able to use the EBCI perk or not, when you logged in to the SW app or website to retrieve the passes, did the screen show you your boarding position for your flight upon logging in and pulling up your flight details? Or did you need to go through the check-in/agreement process first before seeing your boarding position?
If the former, EBCI did what was promised (though I'm not sure why EBCI was marked as 'No' on your boarding pass). If the latter, it appears EBCI did not apply to the flight in question. I would then check your EBCI confirmation email to ensure it was applied for the flight in question before contacting Southwest Customer service to inquire.
Note that if the passenger changes the flight less than 25 hours prior to the flight or if flight with EBCI was purchased but later cancelled and rebooked as a new flight, EBCI does not carry over. Changing the city pairs of any flight with EBCI also requires a contact to SW Customer Service to have EBCI transferred.
Those with EBCI, Anytime, or A-List/ALP w/ Priority Boarding benefits generally will see their boarding positions at the 24-hour mark prior to going through the check-in/agreement process and retrieving boarding passes.
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06-01-2024
12:28 PM
06-01-2024
12:28 PM
@Squidly3 wrote:
I will be getting married in about one month. I will be traveling with my wedding dress from Las Vegas to Nashville. I am a little nervous to travel with it. The garment bag is quite big. It is like you are holding one of those extra large pizza boxes from Costco. That’s the length of it. I know I could put it in an overhead bin, but does anyone know of any other alternatives??
Greetings and congratulations on the big day!
Here are the rules for carryon's. Under federal law, all persons may bring one carryon bag for the overhead bin and one smaller personal item to fit under the seat ahead of you on board flights. Southwest's carryon size limit is 24"L x 16"W x 10"H. The second item needs to fit under the seat. The personal size limit is about 16.25"L x 13.5"W x 8" for an aisle seat with a slightly larger varying width span for the middle and window seats. A main drawback of carrying-on your garment is you'll "consume" your one allotted carryon bag space for the bin.
Note also that the Southwest terminal in LAS airport spans multiple concourses and is very large and busy; having to hand-carry the dress throughout the terminal may be difficult.
The alternative is to check the garment...However, I would strongly not recommend checking it and consider this option instead: Given that the wedding dress is a key essential item for your wedding ceremony and to avoid a possible risk of being separated from it in case of a travel disruption, I would contact your wedding coordinator and I would have it arranged to be shipped separately to Nashville via a guaranteed and trackable shipping service if you are unable to stow it in the overhead bin as a carry-on.
E.g. https://www.fedex.com/en-us/service-guide/money-back-guarantee.html
https://www.ups.com/us/en/support/shipping-support/legal-terms-conditions/ups-service-guarantee.page
I would spend the extra money to ensure the delivery service is guaranteed. This will definitely add cost to the wedding bill but given the key importance of this item, this would be something that I would have shipped separately if I'm not able to carry it onboard the plane. Shipping it separately will also allow you to bring a larger carryon luggage on board for the overhead bin.
Hope this helps.
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I echo @PDFelter
Also, some of Southwest's flights are through-flights making a stop but not terminating there. That means there may be additional passengers already on the plane continuing on when one boards.
Keep in mind Southwest's pre-boarding policy follows federal law and needs to be available for passengers in need of the service at no additional charge. Southwest already boards those simply needing extra time to board in between the A and B groups.
Business Select also yields several other benefits on top of priority boarding.
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@emarshall2024 wrote:
Flying into LAX on an international flight with French Bee and then flying with SW 2 hrs and 15 mins later. I will not have any bags to check in.
Question 1. After going through customs will I still have to go to Terminal 1 to "check in" if I check in digitally and having a digital boarding pass?
Question 2. Since I will not have to check baggage and will have boarding pass digitally on my phone, do I need to go through security at Terminal 1 for "check in" for SW? Or is there a faster way to get to Terminal B which SW flys out of at LAX?
I am trying to secure that I wont miss my flight since I only have 2 hrs and 15 mins after we land and have to go through customs and catch our SW flight.
Hola!
By the looks of your post, it looks like your arriving international flight into LAX will occur at the International Terminal B where the CBP Border Inspection Station is. All Southwest domestic flights occur from Terminal 1. After you clear CBP, you'll be on the landside on the downstairs arrivals level at Terminal B and will need to go through TSA.
Since you'll be flying carry-on and not checking bags and have your digital boarding pass, you should not need to stop at the Southwest Check-In Counter landside in Terminal 1 once you're in the USA from Terminal B. Instead, you should go upstairs to the departures level deck and re-enter the secure airside area through any of the TSA checkpoints at LAX. LAX in 2023 renovated their terminals with pedestrian airside connector walkways in between all nine terminals including Terminal B which allows travelers to use any checkpoint:
Here's a link to the airport map which should help. https://www.flylax.com/inter-terminal-connections
To further speed up your security clearances, the CBP Border Inspection Station at LAX supports both Global Entry and Mobile Passport Control. If you don't have Global Entry, I would see if you qualify to use Mobile Passport Control which should help speed up your passage through CBP. Your customs declarations will also be done via the app too. If you don't have TSA PreCheck, LAX also has CLEAR Lanes at its TSA Checkpoints at Terminal 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 if you qualify for this program too and think you may use it frequently. CLEAR allows you to bypass TSA lines for the ID check portion of the inspection process through special ID check lanes and kiosks.
Mobile Passport Control Info:
https://www.flylax.com/lax-customs-and-immigration
CLEAR Info https://www.clearme.com/all-locations/los-angeles-international-airport#enrollment
Hope this helps!
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@manmohan73 wrote:
I am seeing strange behavior nowadays. Hotels are saying they are not receiving payments from Southwest Hotels or in some cases no details. Its something they don't have proper process to pay to hotel. I contacted several times to customer service and poor guys they don't even understand that we are calling from Hotel lobby where hotels guys said they don't have reservation details or payment not recovied. They will kept you on hold to contact property and check where is the issue. they will try to get new Virtual card to make payments. The bottomline why I need to go thru this process. I am done now with Southwest Hotel. No more reservation with you guys in future. Its worst experience. We have so many other options.
Greetings!
This forum is customer-to-customer comprising of your fellow travelers. It appears a general statement is being made of the Southwest Hotels service powered through Booking.com.
I'm a frequent user of SW Hotels and utilze their pre-paid Points Plus Properties and the service is perfectly legit and by no means a scandal. Many other Southwest travelers use the service and are able to stock up on Companion Pass-qualifying Rapid Rewards Points.
I'm sorry if you experienced a "not found" situation with your reservation/payment not appearing in the hotel's system. Just so we can give you a better response, did you see and capture the confirmation information and receipt data on the "You're All Set" page once your reservation was made and did you receive your confirmation email plus the follow-up emails from SW Hotels with the correct dates and hotel address?
Also, was the booking prepaid? If not, what time did you arrive to check in?...sometimes hotels will release any non-prepaid bookings around 8pm of the check-in date if they were not notified of a late arrival. I always elect to book pre-paid and have the booking paperwork handy in the event of a "not found" reservation. That way the desk clerks can better track down what happened.
One footnote: A "not found" pre-paid reservation happened to me last fall where I booked a hotel near ONT airport. After the clerk advised me that my name wasn't on their list, I gave them the reservation paperwork with the payment info. They got a hold of the SW Hotels Concierge and confirmed the hotel operator had relocated operations to the property where I was at but my reservation went to their old location which was operating under a different brand at the time of the stay; the clerk confirmed that I was booked at their older address; thus, I went over there and there was my reservation. That was the one and only time I ran into this issue.
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@OrangeCat17 wrote:
I am traveling to Mexico with my teenage son (5'8, 275lbs). He will be having major weight loss surgery. He technically will be able to walk short distances, but shouldn't be walking or standing for long periods. Should I book him 2 seats because of his size by putting XS on the 2nd ticket, or should I book him 2 seats because he's big and is temporarily disabled (put DXS on his ticket?). I already anticipated buying the most expensive tickets both ways because I hate fighting over overhead bin space.
Greetings!
Prayers for your son for a safe operation in Mexico.
I'm not sure how the person-of-size reason codes work within a reservation but generally speaking...Yes, Southwest recommends purchasing the second seat in advance which helps ensure proper seating availability for everyone and helps avert an oversale situation in case the flight becomes full. Second seats requested at the last-minute at the airport could create an oversale situation aboard full flights. After your travel is finished, contact Customer Service and SW should issue you a refund for the second seat purchase.
https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/article/extra-seat-policy
https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/article/How-do-I-get-a-refund-of-my-second-seat-purchase
Since your son also has a special need regarding his walking/standing needs, he and one other travel companion may also qualify to pre-board in lieu of utilizing a higher fare product for the priority boarding and overhead bin access near your seat. I would review this article to see if you two may qualify.
https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/article/preboarding
Hope this helps.
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05-31-2024
12:05 AM
05-31-2024
12:05 AM
@kasey97 wrote:
Can I book 3 people on ONE reservation AND use travel credits for each person?
In other words, myself and my 2 daughters; and we all have travel credits.
Greetings!
Southwest allows up to three forms of payment per Passenger subject to some limitations as described on the payment and help pages:
Please apply funds one at a time. Up to three forms of payment per Passenger may be applied, including one credit card or PayPal account per transaction. Southwest® gift cards, Southwest LUV Vouchers®, and Southwest® flight credits can only be used on the flight portion of your trip.
https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/article/payment-methods
Assuming that you and your two daughters have an individual Flight Credit each (one set under each name), they can be applied toward the flight expense portion of your trip under your booking. Note that flight credits cannot be used toward optional expenses like Early Bird Check In.
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05-29-2024
06:47 PM
@msmail wrote:
I want to thank Southwest for wasting my time. I flew back to DCA from Dallas on Memorial day. I am used to having delayed flights. It is a holiday and the weather was bad. Unfortunately my bag decided to take a side trip to Atlanta. I hope it enjoyed the flight. The baggage claim employee told me that it was due to come to DCA at 8:15 the next morning. I could either have it delivered or if I picked it up, I could get a voucher. Apparently I should have recorded this statement or had them write it down. Stupid me had put some frozen food in the bag so did not want to wait for delivery. I called the next morning and they said the bag arrived at 8:11 am. I spent over an hour driving to the airport and getting the bag. Thank god the food was still frozen. The employees at the counter said they did not know anything about the voucher and I needed to call call customer service. I spoke to customer service and they do not have a record of my bag going to the wrong airport and if I wanted a voucher, I needed to go to the airport and speak to a manager. This is BS. I expect bad service from an airline but I expect better of Southwest, especially an airline that has a heart and talks about love. Thanks a lot.
Hola!
Sorry to hear that you ran into trouble regarding how the airport staff handled your baggage separation. Please note that this customer-to-customer forum comprises of your fellow travelers and reported baggage claim staff incidents may not get read or processed by the appropriate SW staff management personnel.
I would forward your report regarding how staff handled your baggage separation directly to SW Customer Relations in an email or DM to Twitter/X:
https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/email-us
Hopefully, they'll be able to clear up any misunderstandings that occurred during the process and follow up on your voucher status.
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05-29-2024
06:35 PM
1 Love
@HVACREFERGUY wrote:
Is anyone having problems making reservations on the App? I’m getting notices and being logged out when I try to purchase a flight.
Hola!
I never like giving out an "it depends" response but this symptom could be from a variety of causes.
I would first verify that the operating system of your mobile device is running the current system version and that the SW App is fully up-to-date running the current version. Also if you're on a Wi-Fi network, verify if the network you're using isn't restricting traffic to the SW App. Sometimes network VPN's can interfere with the App's performance. If you're on a standard mobile network, make sure you have a stable connection.
If you're still experiencing trouble or have difficulty troubleshooting this, you can always try logging into your Rapid Rewards account at Southwest.com via the web browser on your device where you can book and manage flights from there.
Hope this helps!
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@vjreilly wrote:
I have a roundtrip flight SAN- BOS - SAN in July/August. I received an automated message that my return flight had changed times, flight number, everything. I was automatically assigned crazy routing that would have caused me to miss a full day of my trip. (Afternoon departure became morning, one stop became two stop and a 4 hour layover.) So I logged in and made a better routing. (Afternoon departure, one stop, 1 hour and 20 layover.
Now my third-party flight tracker app indicates that I can get a much cheaper outbound ($162 less!). But because SWA changed my return flight and I tried to straighten it out, I no longer have the ability to change that outbound and save money. That doesn't seem fair at all. How can I change the outbound to the better fare? I should not be penalized because SWA made a flight change, and especially because they made a ridiculous routing that I had to fix.
Greetings fellow SAN traveler:
I'm a frequent traveler out of SAN. Our New T1's coming together nicely...Was just there last Wednesday:
You are correct but no worries, this is fixable 😊.
Since SW changed your flight, you are granted a 14-day travel flexibility of the impacted flight without having to pay a difference in fare which has the side effect of preventing you from repricing the flight via the self-serve tools should the fare drop. It looks like you've used this benefit for your latest flight change.
There's two means to resolve the re-pricing issue: Either contact SW Customer Service and have a rep re-price the flight (I would re-price it that way). If you bought Early Bird Check-In with your latest booking, contacting the rep would be your method to ensure EBCI transfers to your new booking assuming your flight is more than 25 hours away.
The other option is to simply start over by cancelling the booking, receive the fight credit; then rebook it as new flight immediately to lock in the lower fare. Just keep in mind that any previous Early Bird Check-In purchases do not transfer with this option.
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Greetings!
TSA doesn't appear to define the policy of transporting Slow Cookers directly; I think the closest item of match to a Slow Cooker that is on TSA's "What can I bring" list is the Camp Stove.
https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/camp-stoves
However, there was national news story from 2022 that involved a passenger transporting a large sum of cash packed inside of a slow cooker. According to the story, TSA cleared the passenger of both the cooker and the cash after the local police was notified of the cash stash and ran a check. That means slow cookers should be AOK in both checked and carry-on bags but make sure that it is packed securely so it can withstand travel.
The cooker should not contain any liquids or residue, nor any fuel if gas powered. Power cords and layer items should also be wrapped in bags so TSA can get a clear view of the items. If you're transporting these via carry-on, I would give yourself some extra time and take the cooker out of the carry-on bag and place it directly into the tray when it goes through the x-ray machine to expedite any possible secondary searches as this is not a common item to transport.
Hope this helps!
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Greetings Community Southwest:
SoCalFlyer97 took a day trip from SAN to SJC and back last week on the Wednesday prior to the Memorial Day weekend for combined business and personal needs. Most of the thrills and excitement occurred during the booking phase thanks to a mix of sales combined with a change of plans...add to that, a Promo Companion Pass offer.
The reservation all started with a two-day local Splash Sale that took place back in February when the one-way midweek fare between SAN and SJC was only $29 each way...Sold. I booked it for May 15.
Then later in March, I found out that I needed to postpone the trip to the following Wednesday 5/22 as all kinds of stuff popped up on my calendar for May 15. Right around the same time I felt it was necessary to reschedule the trip, Southwest announced its Promotional Companion Pass Offer which my new trip date would qualify for. When I checked the posted fare, it was still a good buy: $69 each way. Difference in fare was $80 for the trip but the value of the promo Companion Pass far surpasses that.
One key factor for Promo CP Offers is that the Rapid Rewards member must first Register for the offer, and then book a new flight to be flown by the registered Rapid Rewards member. Changing an existing flight does not count. That meant to qualify, my rescheduled trip to SJC had to be booked via a brand new itinerary and confirmation number. Thus, I went ahead and followed the qualification process for the 5/22 booking. After that was said and done, I then changed my original 5/15 $29 bookings to a totally different trip to PHX which was done through a separate "As low as $49" sale.
Anyway, I fulfilled the SJC trip, and got the notice the next day that I qualified for Promo CP and that it will go into effect on August 5th. It is also worth mentioning that the return trip was SoCalFlyer97's 20th Tier-Qualifying flight for 2024 which renews A-List status through the end of 2025. This was certainly a Rapid Rewards-worthy trip.
Here's how the trip fared.
SAN and the TSA checkpoint lines were not crowded at all early in the morning Wednesday. Just about all of the flights were running on time.
Plane N230WN, the Colorado One also paid a visit to SAN and docked at Gate 12. However, the plane to SJC is aboard aircraft N8570W from Gate 14.
Departing Flight: Plane: 737-8H4, N8570W 80% Full, On Time Preboards: 0
We pushed back on schedule and were immediately cleared to take off.
Just before final descent, there was a little hole in the marine layer near Monterey Bay: Highway 156 going into CA's Central Valley via the Pacheco Pass.
A Picture is worth a Dozen Parks: Yes, there are at least 12 different named open spaces in this area from the plane window to the distant hills according to the map: Richmond Ranch Reserve, Santa Clara Habitat Agency Reserve, Nature Conservatory Easement, Coyote Ridge Open Space, Tulare Hill, Coyote Creek Park, North Coyote Valley Open Space, Santa Clara Valley Open Space, Coe State Park, Shingle Creek, Splinter Valley Creek, Field Sports Park, and Coyote Creek Golf Course.
VTA feeder Bus rides to San Jose's VTA Light Rail trains and the Bay Area BART system is free from SJC airport, otherwise local fare is $2.50 with free transfers with the Clipper fare card.
After I took care of what I needed to do, I head over to Mission Santa Clara for a visit which was about a short 10-15 minute bus ride away from SJC.
Aboard my $2.50 limo ride back to SJC via Route 60.
I returned to SJC a little earlier than usual to take care of some work-related tasks on the laptop before departure.
SoCalFlyer97 usually likes to retreat into quiet unused gate "lounges" which was decorated with SJC's diamond jubilee graphics.
Return flight was also running about 30 minutes behind and upon tracking the plane, I found it was safe to hang out in the quiet space for that extra half hour. So with the late flight, I tried out SW's new built-in tracker via the App:
Upon pulling the flight up, it showed the airport where the plane last took off from which was SLC and the ETA for it to arrive in SJC would be 2:53pm. Nice.
Is this a great tool for the native SW App? Absolutely. Great info! Will SoCalFlyer97 be using this feature regularly? Not yet.
For now, I plan to continue to use the 3rd-Party tools as these also show a live map of where the plane is plus the estimated time remaining before arrival. Once FlightRadar24's ETA ticks to about 10 minutes remaining, that is usually my signal to return to the concourse of where my gate is. If SW integrates a similar live map into their app, then I will certainly use this.
Return Flight: Plane: 737-700, N456WN Full Flight, 28 mins late Preboards: 5
Crowds through the SJC Southwest Terminal appeared pretty typical...busy as usual. Once we boarded, the flight lost an additional 15 minutes as it left the gate at about 46 mins behind but thankfully recovered a whopping 24 mins en-route as we were cleared to take off shortly after push back, allowing the plane to arrive in SAN only 22 mins behind after all that.
And the San Diego downtown skyline finale just before landing never gets old!
Finally, on my ground transport ride back to the Park & Ride lot aboard the MTS Rapid Express Route 280, I enjoy a nice spacious ride...
...only to have our best friend...
...the Fasten Seatbelt Sign follow me home!
Up next for SoCalFlyer97: A flight into the triple digit heat of the desert at PHX and perhaps some more SW Hotels moments during Father's Day weekend. Stay tuned for those reports.
SAN's New T1 Construction Updates:
Official Info about SJC: https://www.southwest.com/destinations/west/san-jose-ca
Official Info about SAN: https://www.southwest.com/destinations/west/san-diego
(SW gives a little marketing promo for Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner train--I'll have to share my Surfliner moments in a future post!)
Prior Trip Reports: https://community.southwest.com/t5/Rapid-Rewards/May-24-Southwest-Hotels-Trip-Report-Redeem-Rapid-Rewards-Points/m-p/172366
https://community.southwest.com/t5/Rapid-Rewards/April-24-Southwest-Flights-amp-Hotels-Line-Up-Seven-Hotels/m-p/172196
https://community.southwest.com/t5/Inflight-Experience/March-24-Southwest-Flight-Photo-Trip-Report-Final-Tropicana/m-p/172055
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05-28-2024
11:41 AM
05-28-2024
11:41 AM
Congratulations on your journey and thanks for sharing!
Nice headband!
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@Gmoon wrote:
Recently retired and after years flying A+ Preferred have arrived at no status just points. A couple of questions...
1. On a recent April flight I tried to use one of my paper drink tickets not noticing it expired in 12/31/23. Flight attendant allowed it but said all new tickets are issued in the app. Is there anyway to convert old drink tickets to electronic??
2. Now that I have to physically do 24hr check in or purchase EB is it best to check in via the app (phone/ipad) or online via computer to get the best position? Also any way to get EB via points or flight credits??
TIA...
Greetings!
Re Drink Coupons, Southwest is utilizing Digital Coupons: Here is the policy:
If you elect to use a mobile boarding pass and have purchased a Business Select fare or are an A-List Preferred Member, your drink coupon eligibility will be noted on the mobile boarding pass. To receive your complimentary premium drink during your flight, simply show the drink coupon portion of your mobile boarding pass to the Flight Attendant for validation. Note that this is only applicable for flights over 175 miles.
Be sure to save a copy of your mobile boarding pass to your mobile device prior to takeoff so you can easily retrieve it during your flight.
A physical boarding pass may be shown onboard to demonstrate A-List Preferred status and premium drink eligibility.
Coupon is invalid after expiration date and will not be updated or replaced.
https://www.southwest.com/food-and-beverage/
It appears the FA was kind to grant you an exception to redeem an old coupon but as the rule, old and expired coupons are generally not valid. If you have an old coupon, I would be prepared to pay for the drink but bring the coupon and ask the FA gently while ordering, "I have an old paper coupon; any chance I can redeem it?" Be prepared and accept the response if they say "No". If they say, "Yes", another kudos to them for the exception.
Re Check In: Before I got A-List, I would book my flights with the WGA+ fare so that I had the Same Day Confirmed Flight Change benefit. I did not use EBCI as I had the ability to check in at 24 hours; if I still got a back-in-the-B position or worse and knew I would not need to use the Same Day Change benefit on travel day, I would buy Upgraded Boarding at that point as usually some A1-15 slots are available at the 24-hour mark, even for full flights. Note that both Upgraded Boarding and EBCI are paid via credit/debit card only (not payable by points, flight credits, or gift cards). EBCI basically automates the check-in process for you and you will get a better boarding position than people who check themselves in at the 24 hour mark. That being said, EBCI has no guarantee for an "A" position and possibly a back-in-the-B. If you get a mid-B or better position by checking in either way, you should be able to still get a decent Aisle or Window toward the back of the plane.
Hope this helps!
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05-28-2024
10:50 AM
05-28-2024
10:50 AM
@lisalaunchpad wrote:
I haven't seen anything recent online so I wanted to ask. We are flying soon and don't want to bring our laptops. I have a new Kindle Fire 10 and was hoping I could use it for movies. Does anyone know if this is now possible? Thanks!
Greetings!
This forum is customer-to-customer comprising of your fellow travelers. It appears that there is no official support published for the Kindle Fire device but it may be able to function. Keyword is may.
Technical Requirements (See last FAQ for supported devices) https://www.southwest.com/inflight-entertainment-portal/
As a workaround to ensure you have entertainment to watch during your flight, I would do this: If you have a paid subscription to any of the other major movie streaming sites including Amazon Prime Titles, Netflix, Hulu, etc, these services generally allow their paying users to download content for offline use as a benefit that can be used for flights. Same can be said for any purchased YouTube movies or any regular YouTube videos with a Premium subscription. I would explore and utilize this option to ensure you have content to watch for your flight so you're not stuck in a limbo should your device not connect to the inflight entertainment portal.
If anybody else reading this has been able to use the SW Inflight Entertainment Portal with an Amazon Kindle device, would you let the original poster know of the experience. Thanks!
Hope this helps!
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05-23-2024
02:44 PM
05-23-2024
02:44 PM
@FlyingRX wrote:
Please Help!! My daugher is flying to Cancun, Mexico in June of this year and I just noticed her passport expires at the end of August this year. Someone mentioned a 6 month rule for expiring passports. Does this apply for a flight to Mexico on Southwest? Thanks in advance.
-FlyingRx
Hola! Nope. The 6-month rule does not apply in Mexico.
I'm assuming the passport in question is an expiring US Passport for a visit to Mexico. Here is the link to the official Mexican rule:
https://consulmex.sre.gob.mx/washington/index.php/ligavisos/15-informacion/182-visas-english
The Mexican government only requires that your passport is valid during the entirety of your trip. Please contact the airline(s) you will be flying on to ensure that they let you board the plane as the United States does have a six months validity rule for passports that may apply.
I'm not aware of any existing Southwest policy on this but as stated, there is no 6-month requirement for visiting Mexico either by air or land crossing beyond having a valid passport nor does the US State Department define such a 6-month rule either. Southwest would not be decider on this; the rule is based on the Mexico government and is published by the US State Department as documented here:
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Mexico.html
Quick Facts PASSPORT VALIDITY:
Passport must be valid at time of entry
BLANK PASSPORT PAGES:
One page per stamp
Hope this helps.
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05-23-2024
02:23 PM
05-23-2024
02:23 PM
@Alitru wrote:
Yes it is, we are returning from Orlando to Denver tonight. I believe the quote is high because they don’t have any wanna get away available on our initial flight. They offered a morning flight, for about $900 total but I still could not pay that and wait for reimbursement.
Ok, thanks for letting us know your return trip is tonight. That explains why the mark-up is high.
I did a quick search and it looks like the next non-stop flight from MCO to DEN is 4:40pm but it's showing as "Unavailable" across the board as of the time of this post. It is also the last scheduled non-stop departure for the day. However, there were some flight options with connections still available for all four fare classes.
However, I did not see a 9pm departure option from MCO-DEN for tonight as you mentioned you needed to wait until then. The last flight out from MCO to DEN with a connection is 7:20pm. I did see a departure with a connection at MSY leaving MCO at 5:25pm and arriving at DEN at 9pm. Would you clarify this.
Also, let us know if you have bags to check but have not checked them yet for your currently scheduled flight as you may benefit from Same Day Standby given the seat availability with the earlier options with connections.
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05-23-2024
11:07 AM
05-23-2024
11:07 AM
Thanks for sharing this wonderful story from Reddit to the community!
https://www.reddit.com/r/SouthwestAirlines/comments/1cyr8l9/chicago_mdw_compassion/
As we all know, we all encourage posters who publish compliments to share their praises directly to SW Customer service...and it looks like one of the Reddit users already made that suggestion to the OP on Reddit 😊
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05-23-2024
10:55 AM
05-23-2024
10:55 AM
@dfwskier wrote:
It appears so. If you pick Southwest flights to fly, Google Flights takes you to southwest.com to complete the purchase.
But for the first time in a very long time, one can now compare Southwest's prices with those of other airlines in one place at one time..
Thanks for the tip @dfwskier !
I took a first glance and I'll need to review this more in detail but now having a third-party means to price-check my SW flights is a real plus! Looks like it currently captures my area's current local as-low-as $59 sale too!
Being able to sort the results by departure time and setting your bag requirements in the filters is a real plus.
Hopefully, its posted pricing doesn't pop this infamous message:
That would mean having a "Low Fare Calendar" but with realtime pricing.
Filtered by SW Flights Only:
Any Airline:
I'll have to take a look more in detail but this is a great tool at first glance!
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05-23-2024
09:59 AM
05-23-2024
09:59 AM
@Alitru wrote:
Anyone have issues with a Southwest “glitch” changing a return flight? We made and paid for a change to our departure flight and Southwest decided to change our return flight without letting us know. Customer service admitted to an error on their end, which they call a glitch and they are not willing to change our flight back to our originally booked flight, even though there are seats available for the flight and earlier flights. Now we have to wait until 9pm and we are traveling with a child. We have email confirmation from an employee that they made a change to our departure flight only but they are still unwilling to make it right. After spending over 2 hours on the phone, on hold, and being disconnected multiple times we doing know what more we can do on our end. They said they could put us on another flight but we would need to pay the difference of $1,500 (there are 3 of us). They said if we pay, they would reimburse us after or trip, I find that hard to believe, especially with the way things are going and I don’t have $1,500 to just throw away like that. I just want them to fix the error they made so we can get home when we originally planned to.
Hola! This appears unusual and you did the right thing by reaching out to customer service. Sorry to hear that you've been going in circles trying to get this resolved. This forum is customer-to-customer comprising of your fellow travelers and unfortunately we will not be able to address your booking issue here.
However, I noticed your quoted $1,500 difference in fare total for 3-persons appears to be very high. I'm assuming your travel day is coming up very soon. Would you mind sharing your origin/destination airport pairs and dates/times of travel including your desired return time and your erroneously rebooked return time (don't share any confidential info like your confirmation number, names or contact info here). That way, we can point you in the right direction when you follow up with SW Customer Service.
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@tulls422 wrote:
Does anyone know why Early Bird rates vary? I fly to Buffalo from Tampa frequently and Early Bird is always $25 per flight. I just booked a work trip, going to Philly from Tampa, each way Early Bird is only $20 (also flights were way cheaper than flights to Buffalo)...just wondering why Early Bird would be cheaper to and from Philly. I'm sure there's some sort of "logical" (note the sarcasm) explanation for the difference in rate...
Greetings:
EarlyBird Check-In pricing actually starts at $15 one-way. Pricing varies because of differing popularity and lengths of flights.
https://www.southwest.com/early-bird/
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@tulls422 wrote:
My flight was cancelled, I was rebooked on a flight for another day...fine. However, my Early Bird check-in did not carry over, ok I guess...but what really irked me was that I wasn't refunded the $25 that I paid for Early Bird check-in. All I was told is that it was their "policy". I had no control over my flight being cancelled, so in this case, it seems to me they should refund my Early Bird cost...anyone else have this issue?
Greetings:
Per Southwest's written policy, you are due a refund of Early Bird Check In if Southwest cancels your flight.
https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/article/Is-EarlyBird-Check-In-refundable
However, allow up to 7 business days for the refund to post; contact the airline if the refund does not post within that timeframe.
Hope this helps.
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05-21-2024
01:09 PM
2 Loves
@actorguy wrote:
So, SWA is saying that there is not enough O&D traffic to Knoxville and yet you opened a route to, of all places, EUGENE, OR????? Why not make TYS a mid-stop instead of a final destination?
Greetings:
You're not alone; there has been widespread discussion and suggestions of bringing Southwest to TYS on this message board.
As this forum is customer-to-customer and your suggestion may not get processed here, I would make your suggestion directly to Southwest Customer Service in an email or DM via Twitter/X: https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/email-us
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05-21-2024
12:59 PM
2 Loves
@kjuaire wrote:
I booked a flight which Southwest changed, Subsequently the price for that flight dropped below my original cost. Typically I can go to the website and use the change flight feature to select the same flight and automatically receive a flight credit. On this flight that was changed by Southwest, that is not an option. I do not see the price differences on the alternate flights, nor can I select the same flight.
Is calling the only option for receiving the credit or is their an alternate online method?
Greetings:
You are correct. Since SW changed your flight, you are granted the 14-day travel flexibility of the impacted flight without having to pay a difference in fare which essentially prevents repricing via the self-serve tools should the fare drop. There's two means to resolve: Either contact SW Customer Service and have a rep re-price the flight (I would re-price it that way). If you bought Early Bird Check-In, this would be your method to ensure it transfers assuming your flight is more than 25 hours away.
The other option is to simply cancel the original booking, receive the fight credit; then rebook it as new flight right away to lock in the lower fare. Just keep in mind that any previous Early Bird Check-In purchases do not transfer with this option.
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Here is the current status of Flight 1402: https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/wn1402
The assigned plane is N8323c: https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n8323c
According to the tracker, the plane for Flight 1402 left Fort Myers airport early in the afternoon local time but was turned around upon approaching the Chicago area and was therefore diverted and landed at IND for a few hours (assuming the reason was due to severe weather passing through Chicago according local weather reports). Thus, the excessive delay.
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