Southwest Airlines Community

@TroyMitchell wrote: I am EXACERBATED by the fact that Southwest will not simplify the process of obtaining a receipt for a past flight. I’ll fly Southwest for business, and I am in need of receipts in order to submit expense reports. There is no simple way of doing this. Despite the fact that the Southwest help tool tells you to click on the trip name from your account to print a receipt. This does not work. The only link available is to rebook that flight. Every time I need a receipt I have to call Southwest and have an agent mail the receipt to me. This is a ridiculous waste of time. Every other platform in the world provides you the ability to view and print your receipt or to download as a PDF. Why is Southwest so  oblivious to this need and how do we escalate this simple feature request to someone who cares about Southwest customers. Yes, you can sense my frustration. Not only am I wasting time retrieving receipts on a regular basis, but I am having to spend 20 minutes on a Saturday afternoon sending this message in hopes that someone will care.  Hello-   As one who handles business expense reports for my job each month, I understand the original poster's needs. To be clear, the Southwest Phone App appears to not have the ability to retrieve receipts. The full version of Southwest's website does, but appears to have limitations in regards to past flights.   Are you able to locate and still have access to the original confirmation email that gets sent to you at the time of booking that reads "You're going to (City) on (Flight Date/Confirmation #)"?   The transaction details with the detailed line-item breakdown of the government taxes and airport fees should all be itemized there together with the transaction date, flight date(s) and the payment(s) used. This should comply as a standard financial receipt for a business expense report line item.   Upon trying to reproduce what you're looking for by logging into Southwest's website, this confirmation email appears that it can be resent to the email used for the original booking for upcoming flights. The subject of the resent email is the same: "You're going to...". Note that I used the full version of Southwest's website.    However, this does not appear to be the case for a past flight. Upon trying retrieve the same receipt details for a past flight via the website, I get a summary of the flight when I select "View receipt" that shows the totals and abbreviated summary of the line items, but no documentation of the transaction date nor form of payment used. Expense report receipts should include these.   If you no longer have access to this confirmation email, it appears that a Southwest CSA will need to resend this. However, for business travel on Southwest going forward, I would save and safely file this confirmation email so you can properly expense it at the end of the month. I agree and also suggest that you make a formal suggestion to Southwest that this feature be available on their website for past flights and advise them that such line item details are standard for business expense reporting.     ... View more

@DancingDavidE wrote: @srogers19 wrote: Thank you! Yes I did mean upgraded boarding, so I will try when I am within 24 hours of boarding. Thanks again Ill report back with any issues 🙂 Just to clarify I've usually seen this the same day of the flight, I'm not sure if they offer it when you check in at T-24 for a flight the next day. It is usually something you get at the airport.   Yes, Upgraded Boarding is available for sale on the phone app and website at the 24 hour mark and after completing check-in. Since I normally don't buy Early Bird Check-In, I usually make the decision to buy Upgraded Boarding at the 24 hour mark if I check in and get a deep B or further back position and flight demand appears to be high enough where the probability of a full flight will be likely. ... View more

@Edwardjb64 wrote: I arrived 2 hours early to see my grandchildren off for LAX (from ABQ). To see if there were any options for pre or early-boarding the children I approached the podium and asked what SWA policies were for such.  I was told, "No way, you board with group C".  As a result, they boarded almost dead last, and were no seats together for the 15-year-old and the 11-year-old.  At the gate itself, the agent said "You could have, should have early boarded". What IS the policy? Hello- Here's Southwest's policy linked from the website:   Young Traveler Policy Ages 12-17: https://www.southwest.com/help/flying-with-children/young-travelers-terms-and-conditions   Unaccompanied Minor Ages 6-11 flying Alone: https://www.southwest.com/help/flying-with-children/unaccompanied-minors-flying-alone   As far as to whether the CSA did the right thing...It looks like they followed the written policy given the flight involved both an 11 Year-old had a 15 Year-old to accompany; Young Travelers board in their assigned groups. Unaccompanied Minors are given a special lanyard and pre-board but do so if they are unaccompanied.   As far as the "No way" response from the CSA...I don't think that was the wisest of words. Given this trip involved two minors, I would check with Customer Relations to be absolutely sure since this was a special case of an 11 Year-old Minor being accompanied by a 15 Year-old Young Traveler instead of an adult. ... View more

@sshoate wrote: I just came back from a trip to Miami. I really didn't have anything expensive. But, for some reason the TSA wanted to steal worn earrings and small bottle 50ml of unopened alcohol. They really had to dig because my suitcase was packed. Then, they unzipped my toiletries bag opened my toothbrush holder and done whatever with it. I dont want to even know but there were brown spot in the bristles and on the side. I through the entire thing in the TRASH! I'm wondering are they taking bags in a secluded area to go through and steal whatever or is EVERYONE working for TSA thieves and no one says anything!!  And, if you put a lock on your bag they will break it steal your items do disgusting things to your toothbrush. So you come out way worse then just the stolen items. Ive learned my lesson, if there are items other than clothes put in carry on or personal item. I didnt have this problem with any other airline. As much as flights are there should be cameras EVERYWHERE TSA agents would take your luggage. Fire them..its a revolving job anyway sobthey would not be out much! I'm sure a full day's flights would pay for them. It would slow down the thievery and inappropriate things. Just a thought!!   Hello-   My experiences through the TSA checkpoint have always been professional both at my home airport at SAN and abroad. I think the alcohol may have flagged the carry-on for secondary inspection. Did you use the PreCheck or standard screening lane? If standard screening, was the 3-1-1 bag with the alcohol properly removed from the luggage before running it through the x-ray machine?   I'm able to use the PreCheck lane and should my bag get pulled for a secondary, I usually ask what specifically they're looking for and I'll point the agent to the appropriate area of the bag to assist them with their inspection. I always have my laptop, electronics and 3-1-1 bag packed in an area that can be easily accessed in the event of a secondary. Here's TSA's guidelines on alcohol for carry-on:   Alcohol: Permitted if less than or equal to 3.4oz/100 ml and stowed in a 3-1-1 compliant quart-sized bag.   If you believe everything in your carry-on and 3-1-1 bag was compliant and you believe your property was unfairly damaged or taken during an routine secondary inspection, I would file a complaint and provide your approximate time you went through the TSA Checkpoint, airport location and checkpoint location, which lane (standard lane or PreCheck), and flight number. The checkpoints have decent surveillance which should allow for a proper investigation.   https://www.tsa.gov/contact-center/form/complaints ... View more

@SoCalFlyer97 wrote:   Plane spotting from 37,000 feet over the Temblor Range area of the Coastal Range facing the Central Valley. Anybody know the flight details of the bird below? Appeared to be a 737-700 headed somewhere from northern California toward LAX or SBA (Photo Timestamp: 6/22/23, 4:36pm, 23mins after takeoff; Flight 3595 SJC-SAN).               Our friends at Flightradar24 confirmed that the Southwest Boeing 737-700 that I spotted from my window seat over the Temblor Range mountains which crossed 4,000' beneath my flight route was SW Flight 458 that departed from OAK at 4:05p and was headed to LAX, cruising at 33,000'.  ... View more

Hello! Since this forum is customer-to-customer, I would email Southwest or contact Customer Relations with a brief message outlining the incidents involving your trip as well as a line-item detail of all your accommodation costs accrued as a result of your flight being cancelled. This appears to be a controllable cancellation in which Southwest has committed to provide complimentary accommodation.   However, I find it strange that the gate CSA who rebooked your Sunday cancelled segment to Tuesday said "no" when you found a Monday transportation option and wanted to move forward with that. Normally, protocol would be for the CSA to refund you for the cancelled segment regardless of which fare class you booked so you can move forward with your Monday alternative. I would bring this up to Customer Relations. ... View more

@bec102896 wrote: Thanks for sharing your trip!  with the boards that tell you how full the flight is/standby passengers those you will usually see in larger SW markets (STL, MCO, MDW, DAL) just to name a few. I do find it funny that an airport could have one of those and it says full flight then passengers get on and ask is the flight full 😂 I'll keep an eye out for this innovative wayfinding monitor system at other airports. I think it may be showing up to one my local airports soon where Southwest dominates the market, like SJC, OAK, LAS and possibly SAN.   To my observation and upon doing some further research on this, it appears that Southwest worked with a consultant known as Continuum back in 2017 on updating their wayfinding monitors. It looks like this was first tested at DAL back then with 300,000 travelers that resulted in a 4.77/5 average favorability rating and 96% of passengers reporting that the new system made it easier to navigate the airport. Also during the trial, Southwest noticed a reduced number of repetitive questions frequently asked to CSA's--specifically, questions about connecting flights, flight capacity, and how full the flight will be.   As mentioned, I think this may eventually be rolled out systemwide given the highly favorable response at DAL and the fact that it's in use at PDX given that Alaska Airlines (not Southwest) dominates the PDX area market (i.e.: PDX is Alaska's hub).      One Footnote: When I planned this trip and researched the airfares, even though Alaska did have a lower total cost and direct non-stop flights from PDX to SAN, flying Southwest and having a daylong stopover at the Silicon Valley was absolutely worth it for my travel needs. The trip was booked back in April during one of Southwest's $59 sales and I found that the value of Alaska's advertised "Saver" fare found on their website and third party booking portals doesn't even come close to the flexibility offered with Southwest's WGA+ fare combined with Upgraded Boarding. ... View more

@Andysouthwest wrote: Unable to open Southwest.com on Apple safari but no issue on Microsoft Edge. Any suggestions? I'm not able to reproduce this but I sometimes run into issues of pages failing to load if my browser's cookie file gets corrupted for the website in question. Try clearing the cookies and data for Southwest.com for the Safari browser and try loading again. ... View more

@Ingbeck25 wrote: Hi, I  booked a fight on June 21, 2023 and have the confirmation but haven't received a email yet. Also the charges are still  pending,  why? Hello!   The confirmation notification is usually sent immediately after purchasing. The subject line will read something like "You're going to (Destination City) on (Flight Date + Confirmation #)!".   Double-check that your email address was entered correctly in your Rapid Rewards profile and check all spam and promotional folders for this email. If no luck, I would call the airline with your confirmation details and have a CSA resolve. As your trip draws closer, you should be receiving a series of follow up emails (e.g. "Have you book your rental car/hotel", "What you'll need for your Trip", "Your Trip is almost here"). Look for these too.   Your booking details should also be available upon logging into your Rapid Rewards profile and selecting "My Account". Flight details should be available under the "My upcoming trips" area.   Hope this helps! ... View more

@liosnzse wrote: i want to bring a suitcase, a backpack that would be considered a carry on, and a purse with me, but i wanted to know if i could pack the purse inside the backpack? would that count as one bag or two? would i get charged extra?   Hello! The answer is yes, you can combine your personal item into your carry-on at no additional charge. Purses are defined as a "personal" item.   You can do one of two options at no additional cost:   If the suitcase is also small enough to qualify as carry-on that will not be checked, you can stow the suitcase in the overhead bin, combine the purse into the backpack and stow the backpack under the seat in front of you. Most standard school-sized book backpacks are considered personal item and can fit under the seat. Note that Window and middle seats from approximately the fourth row of the plane all the way to the very back have the widest area for personal items. The Aisle seats have a narrower space of personal items. If you plan to check the suitcase, you can keep the purse and backpack separate and stow the backpack in the overhead bin and purse under the seat. Note that Flight Attendants may ask passengers to consider combining and stowing smaller items under the seat for full flights to leave room in the overhead bins for larger carry-on luggage. Southwest CSA's at the gate are very friendly about this and will also advise passengers to combine any carry-on items to two.   Hope this helps. ... View more

@Rick8132 wrote: Hi I’m gathering info before i book a flight I have ocd and autism and can have a small panic attack that will lead me to crying if people touch certain things in my carry on bag is there a way i could get some accommodation I just wanna bring my own blanket in a bag by itself could I not have tsa touch the security blanket when going through the tsa border and maybe get help Getting to my flight because of the stress and nerves of a first time flyer thank u? Hello Rick8132!   If you're packing only your blanket in your carry-on, it should certainly clear TSA.   https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/blankets   However, in your case, I would have a doctor's note in your possession in a very rare case you get randomly picked for secondary inspection. Only in that case, I would present that to the TSA officer if you get a random picked for secondary. No need to present it if you don't get picked. Note that the final decision to inspect is ultimately at the TSA's discretion.   TSA will do random secondary searches which can happen (again, rare) when going through the detectors and their "random inspection" beep activates. I've hit that 'lottery' just one time out of my last twenty trips when returning from SMF to SAN via the PreCheck lane. They did a quick explosives test on my cell phone which only took about a minute to complete. They're usually pretty friendly about these searches and getting people who get random secondaries through screening quickly.   Hope this helps. Remember when you go through TSA, be ready to place your shoes, belt and all pocket items in the bin with your carry-on to help expedite and speed up your screening process. Also don't forget to empty any water bottles before going through (but keep the bottle so you can refill airside!). These will help too!      Also consider getting PreCheck if you think you'll fly more often and you qualify for it (or even Global Entry if you think you'll ever go international, even across a land border). That will make both your TSA and US Customs screening experience much less anxious with a special faster line and expedited screening!   Enjoy your trip! ... View more

@Gatorjohn127 wrote: I intend to bring my electric power wheelchair to the cabin on an upcoming flight. It has one lithium ion 270 watt battery. I understand that the battery must be removed from the wheelchair and brought with me as carry on baggage. My question is can I just put the battery in my backpack or do I need special packaging for the battery before placing in my backpack. Also since I am disabled and cannot bend with the southwest people remove the battery from my wheelchair for me.  Thanks   Hello-    Here is the text from TSA's website which indicates that the battery will need to be removed and placed in a protective pouch. The airline should be alerted so advanced-arrangements can be made for transport of the lithium battery. I would initiate a call with a SW CSA as early as possible to ensure this given your circumstances regarding who is to remove it. They should also be able to assist you on what protective gear you'll need to bring. TSA text as follows:   Battery powered wheel chairs and mobility devices   [omitted spillable battery directives as they are non applicable]   Lithium metal (non-rechargeable lithium) batteries are forbidden with these devices. Lithium ion batteries must be removed from this type of mobility device and battery terminals protected from short circuit. The battery must be protected from damage (e.g. by placing each battery in a protective pouch). The lithium ion batteries must be carried in carry-on baggage only. The passenger must advise the airline of the battery location. The airline must notify the Pilot-in-command of the battery location in the cabin.   For complete passenger instructions contact your airline. Advance arrangements and extra check-in time may be necessary. The airline may need to remove the battery and package it separately if the wheelchair cannot be stowed upright in the cargo compartment. Wheelchairs and other mobility devices are permitted through the checkpoint but not permitted into the cabin of the aircraft.   https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/battery-powered-wheel-chairs-and-mobility-devices ... View more

Hello! Sometimes a simple misinformation of the facts received of an issue from Southwest may cause a CSA phone rep to say "no" to a refund even if you're entitled to one. Since this forum is Customer-to-Customer and posts do not get relayed to Customer Service automatically, I would try calling Southwest's Customer Service again but escalating the matter if possible, and carefully focus on and describe the facts once again from start to finish of what happened:   Original Itinerary of your flight including your scheduled event at LAS Flight # of the original cancelled flight from SNA to LAS. Flight # of the rebooked but delayed flight segment from PHX to LAS. Location of you where you were when the PHX to LAS segment was reported to be delayed + length of reported delay If you have it, the name of the rep who could not help you Alternatively, if the phone solution doesn't work again, I would try initiating a contact via Southwest's Twitter which should trigger a private Direct Message discussion. That way, there is a written private paper trail in case you feel your transaction needs to be further escalated via a transaction dispute with your bank.   One other factor: I have taken a few flights to/from LAS earlier this month all through their runway maintenance project as they currently have three out of four operating runways. On Southwest's "What you need for your LAS trip" emails that I get the day prior to departure, I'm notified of the following advisory:   Delays at LAS: Ongoing runway construction is causing delays for all carriers at LAS. This may affect your travel. Please check your flight status for the latest updates.   During these trips, the actual delays were at most 15-20 minutes but mostly 5-10 minutes. In some instances, 30 mins. The queue of planes I've seen have been at most 5-7 in line for take off. For arrivals, I believe the plane would be held at the departing airport on the tarmac if Air Traffic Control detects plane traffic congestion at the arriving airport (back in March, my flight from LAS to SAN was held on the tarmac taxiway for 20 mins due to projected arriving plane traffic at SAN; after 20 minutes, I've heard the tones and "we've been cleared for departure!"). Thus, I think the rep's statement of "that all Vegas flights will get affected up to Aug. This is Vegas airport runway issue not SW so customers get to bear on the risk" may have been mis-presented.   I would give this another shot...     ... View more

@rmeyer8784 wrote: I'm a veteran and will be flying with my wife and 2 kids, and wondering if when boarding and the agent invites military members to board between groups A and B, would my family be able to board with me? Hello and thank you for serving our country!   As @DancingDavidE asked, how old are the kids? If at least one is under 7, you should be able board at least a portion of your party via Family Boarding which is between the A and B groups (same boarding benefit as military). If both under 7, you may be able to have mom be with one kid, and dad with the other and board via Family Boarding in separate positions. Here's the policy:   Southwest offers Family Boarding, which occurs after the “A” group has boarded and before the “B” group begins boarding. Up to two adults traveling with a child six years old or younger may board during Family Boarding. If the child and adults are all holding “A” boarding passes, they should board in their assigned boarding position rather than waiting for Family Boarding   Also, are you currently active duty? I'm also aware there is a special military fare that can  be booked or applied to your ticket via a CSA over the phone or at the airport (not available online or via the App). I would check that out as Early Bird is bundled which should help with boarding. As of 9/22/22, no uniform required but Active Duty military ID required. My understanding is the special  fare would apply only to you.   Details: https://www.southwest.com/html/air/military-travel.html?clk=help ... View more

@LuvFlyingSW wrote: Thanks for that info! That's great to know. Can I make a second free same-day change, which I might want to do if I can't get an A1-15 upgraded boarding position on the first flight I changed to? The boarding position seems to be the one downside of the same-day change, but I have the Rapid Rewards Priority credit card, so I can upgrade my boarding position from C whatever to A1-15 up to four times for free. I haven't flown much since they started letting us buy the upgraded boarding position online, but it has been available on all my flights since then. My understanding is you can change as needed on the same day without paying additional fare with a WGA+, Anytime, or Business Select fare (or WGA with A-List or A-List Preferred status), only paying the minor tax differences if required. If you do a Same-Day Flight Change online and later learn that all the A1-A15 slots are sold out after receiving the new booking confirmation, I assume you can do another change.   Might be best at that point to call Southwest and rebook through a CSA on the phone or at the airport so you can ask beforehand whether the Upgraded Boarding is still available prior to confirming the change. ... View more

  I currently do not use the Business Select fare but take advantage of one of its key perks a-la-carte. The fare benefits combined are all nice and when all added up, likely worth it for some...but here are my reasons why I haven't used this fare yet based on my travel needs and patterns:   Refundability - Not needed as the flight credit will eventually be used. With WGA+ Fare, I can also transfer the credit. A1-A15 Boarding Position - My favorite perk of this fare but I buy a-la-carte if my 24-hour mark check-in boarding position ends up in the late B or worse. If it looks like that the flight will be full based on fare availability at the 24 hour mark, I may opt to buy the Upgraded Boarding right at the 24 hour mark too as all the A1-A15 slots sometimes sell out by the time of boarding.  Yes, sometimes the front of the plane already appears to be filled with people (through-travelers and pre-boarding group) before the A1-A15 group gets on, but even with this factor, I've always saw plenty of individual window and aisle seats on the front half when I do Upgraded Boarding. To be fair, group seats may still be tough to find in the front at this point, but I've noticed these are plentiful in the back for the A-group.   Premium Drink - Sorry, folks! I'm a bit boring here. No alcohol consumption for me on the plane as I can't be sleepy during ground transportation on both ends. 12 TQP Rapid Rewards Points per $1 - I may consider should I near A-List or Companion Pass by points and need a point boost to cross into the tier before the year is up. May consider if this ever happens... Fly By Priority Express Lane - Haven't used...yet....as I'm a carry-on only and use the PreCheck Lane to go through TSA. That being said, my choice may end up costing me one day should I ever win the lottery for a random TSA screening that will land me in the general screening line but that hasn't happened yet. May also consider if I have an International flight via Southwest on a busy travel day and need to finish check-in at the counter but haven't done that yet.   Add it all up...WGA+ and Upgraded Boarding (if necessary) are my picks but everyone's needs are different. ... View more

Hello!   I'm going to chime in as I used Southwest Hotels for three separate hotel bookings so far this year with three separate brands at three different locations with the most recent stay happening during this month of May.   The main obvious reason of me booking through SW Hotels was the generous Rapid Rewards points perk for the Plus Properties combined with the flexibility to choose from a variety of hotel brands of which to stay while in the area. I require--and many hotel booking options offer--free cancellation up to 48 hours prior. Overall cost is competitive.   I had smooth and problem-free check-in processes for all three hotels and I think selecting the Rapid Rewards Plus Point Property had something to do with it. I did have a very minor inconsistency with the bed booked with one of the hotels versus the actual bed in the room (booked 1 queen, room had 1 king--very, very minor). Being single-occupancy bookings, this didn't matter but worth noting. Also since I'm the solo occupant, not picky on room specifics. Should I have very specific room type requirements in the future (e.g. window views, floor level, hotel tower preference, or specific amenities) I may opt to book direct and work with the hotel on these. But since just about all of my hotel bookings are simply for a place to rest my head, Southwest Hotels does the job with some nice Rapid Reward points in return.   Hotel Properties: Hotel Seville - Ontario Airport/Chino (formerly Super 8 ) Room Type Booked: Comfort King Room Room Type Received: Comfort King Room Rapid Rewards: 1000       Best Western California City Inn and Suites Rapid Rewards: 4000 Room Type Booked: 2 Queen Beds Room Type Received: 2 Queen Beds     Motel 6-Redlands, CA (formerly Howard Johnson) Rapid Rewards: 700 Room Type Booked: 1 Queen Bed - Non-Smoking Room Type Received: 1 King Bed - Non-Smoking       Hotel Selection Criteria: Overall Base Cost Quality of Hotel Neighborhood Safety Rapid Rewards Plus Point Property Free Cancellation Support up to 48 hours   ... View more

@DancingDavidE wrote: @SoCalFlyer97 wrote: No layover. It was a Same Day Roundtrip. SAN-LAS has many flight departures both ways from early morning 'til late evening. Took an early morning departure from SAN, spent the day taking care of some business in Vegas and returned later to SAN in the evening. You are saying it is a stopover, as in two separate tickets?     No stopover. LAS was the destination on a Round Trip purchase from SAN w/ return trip scheduled on same day as departure. ... View more

No layover. It was a Same Day Roundtrip. SAN-LAS has many flight departures both ways from early morning 'til late evening. Took an early morning departure from SAN, spent the day taking care of some business in Vegas and returned later to SAN in the evening. ... View more