Southwest Airlines Community

The math is certainly in your favor.  Assume you are on a 143 passenger 737-700.  On an originating flight (one that was empty when boarding started), there are  24 rows with  two window and two aisle seats (except the exit row with two seats has a hybrid window seat).  Although many flights have pre-boarders that take a few seats before general boarding begins, there will still be a significant number empties in the 96 seats located on the window or aisle.  Since most people traveling alone do not voluntarily choose a middle seat (the front row bulk- head middle seat being an occassional exception), one can consider that middle seats are generally available until the last 48 people on a completely full flight board  the aircraft (theoretically), so if you find an aisle or window then you will likely find a center seat next to that aisle or window seat, allowing a couple to sit together.   The person with the B-1 boarding pass will likely have to board after a few (maybe a dozen or so) A-List, A-List Preferred, and families with small children, (and sometimes military personnel) which means that that person will be boarding in the 70th to 80th position, so mathmatically there should be 16 to 26 windows and aisle seats available, even if no one chose a middle seat up to that point.  So it stands to math that the B-16 boarding pass should be able to find a window or an ailse seat.   There are some exceptions to this math approach.  That math does not work as well for a connecting flight, because it is difficult to know how many window and aisle seats are being occupied by through passengers.  Also, in the morning and afternoon/early evening a lot of A-List passengers that travel frequently may be in the queue headed home from business, and that too will mess with the math.  Of course if you are flying on a 737-800 yopur probabilities are greatly improved because that equipment seats 176 passengers.  As they say,  "Do the math!"   Good luck and happy travels.   Traveler Tip:  It is often a good idea to ask the Gate Attendant or one of the counter attendants how many are scheduled to be on your flight.  At least it allows you to know what to expect. ... View more

@APATNAUDE wrote: I will do that for sure by getting the box this evening that I saved from when she first got it, and will update the claim and post. Now if the tablet is in a full enclosed case similar to an otter box... will they remove it to view the serial number? I saw the positive outcomes from others whom have left items on the plane and have gotten them back, so I am trying to stay positive and really hope someone comes forward, or it gets found. Thank you! I think they would open it if it was preliminarily a match. The serial number seems to be a defninitive method of matching property to its owner.    If the tablet is connected and you have ability to ping it such as FindMyiPhone that seems to also help in some cases.   If you search the community I had previously posted a number you can call there as well during daytime hours only.   ... View more

Has anyone experienced an unusual delay in RR posting to your account? After my first two hotel stays booked through SW, points where posted in three days. My third stay will put me over 110k and earn me my Companion Pass and it has been a week since I checked out of the hotel. I know the website says it can take up to 8 weeks. It just seems odd that it is taking these particular points so long to post. ... View more

@jamesdegan wrote: Yes, absolutely credit card user gets the points because the points are awarded for spending the money to the person who spent the money. It's a good thing these points are being accumulated on Chase, where they value their customers.... Feel free to use any credit card to purchase tickets, including other Chase cards. In that case the points will vary based on your program and the bonus point per $1 spent that @TheMiddleSeat was referring towon't apply.   For most people on this community, they will be using the Chase Rapid Rewards card, which does earn the bonus and does accumulate points into Rapid Rewards.     ... View more

@Lmkel68 wrote: The only issue I had was a B40 person boarding in front of mein my A40 spot. I think they should make sure people board where they are supposed to board @TheMiddleSeat wrote: @Lmkel68 buying it as early as possible before your flight does help, but I'm curious what you weren't pleased with? High A and single digit B boarding positions aren't too shabby, especially if it's a heavy business traveler (A-List) route. Impossible to say what you would have received without EBCI but for not having to remember to check-in exactly 24 hours prior, those boarding positions seem pretty good to me.   --TheMiddleSeat   Feel free to point it out if you see someone obviously not following the program, in some cases these may be simply unaware and then the gate agent will either catch them or not.   Othertimes it may be someone deliberately trying to sneak on, and again either caught or not but if you point it out maybe they'll give up the attempt.    A third case might be that they asked for some special dispensation to board with someone else which may be given sometimes, i.e. their spouse was right in front or something.    Anyway - it doesn't have to be confrontational, just ask the person what their position is as you are trying to decide if you are in front or in back of them, just the facts. If they say "B40" then maybe they just need help getting to the right spot. Either way it would be behind you and the next person behind you can have the same negotiation if necessary.       ... View more

@TheMiddleSeat wrote: @dfwskier good info! My experience is still that I find the rates through my insurance company (USAA) and AAA are better than through Southwest even without discount code, then add on a discount code that applies to bookings through either of those organizations and it's a big savings versus Southwest. Now, if you don't have access to an organization such as AAA then booking through Southwest may be the best option.   In general, it pays to shop around as one option may be cheaper for some bookings and then other options might be better for others. Lots of variables. It also pays to recheck prices after booking, just like Southwest flights prices do drop and you can rebook as long as you didn't choose a prepaid rate.   --TheMiddleSeat Costco is also very competitive, you get a second driver free all of the time, and the cancelation is about as generous as Southwest's 10 minutes prior.  ... View more

@Tkcho2,   You were in a difficult situation, and I'm sorry to hear that. It does sound like our Flight Attendant may have missed an opportunity to handle your concerns with more compassion. I'm certain it was equally uncomfortable for the other parties involved, and I regret that proactive measures weren't taken so such circumstances could be avoided.   Please reach out to our Customer Relations Department so a Customer Representative can work with you toward a resolution. Oftentimes, we're able to offer a gesture of goodwill and invite you to come back in the future for better experiences.    ... View more

Thank you @TheMiddleSeat. I will give them a call and verify they received the proper documents. We have changed names on all accepted documents, that is what is starting to concern me. I appreciate your feedback and will continue to try and get a hold of them. Thank you!!  ... View more

On a multi-passenger travel fund the fee is $100 per person. ... View more

While storing the credit card in your account like you said would be great, an alternative to look at is most phones, tablets, and computers have methods to securely store credit cards and then auto populate forms when desired. I rarely have to pull out my credit card while shopping online after getting that functionality setup.  Just another idea to consider.   --TheMiddleSeat ... View more

You're on the right track. The travel fund expiration date is one year after you made the original reservation so yes, you can look through your email and find a reservation confirmation one year prior to the expiration date. That's the confirmation number that will be associated with the travel fund.       --TheMiddleSeat   Did this or any other comment in the thread answer your question? Please take a moment and click the "Accept as Solution" button on the comments you found most helpful, this will be a big help to any future Community Members who have a similar question!     ... View more

So if you cancel a vacation package how long does it take to credit back the money from hotel to credit card used to book ... View more

A+ here, was auto-checked in for a BS fare tomorrow, so a sign that some, if not all, BS fares get auto-checkin...don't know if it was due to being A+ ... View more

One related note is that the following blog post from August 2018 is also available:   A Resource for Family Travel: Locating Mothers’ Rooms in Airports across the Southwest System ... View more

You can purchase the kids' tickets independently from the grandparents' tickets, but because of their age you will be asked for the confirmation number and name of an adult traveling with them when you complete the purchase. You should provide the information from the grandparents' reservation.   --TheMiddleSeat ... View more

@DancingDavidE wrote: @chgoflyer wrote: Ugh. I can't believe Southwest let this happen again. Was it early in the year last year too? I feel like it was also at an "obvious" stage of the year when many people won't have earned it yet.   This would be disastrous at the end of the year when many people are close and may make decisions based on seeing that email.     I got one of those error emails back in January 2017 people were angry then since people thought “maybe they were helping me out since I was so close to earning the companion pass” ... View more

@DancingDavidE wrote: I'm a fan of Seat Guru +1 ... View more

@Grady wrote: I am flying into Oakland (5/1) from Seattle and returning 5/7. My wife is flying from Seattle (5/3) into Sacramento to visit her Dad and i will meet her the next day and we will drive back to Oakland to visit my Dad and fly out together on 5/7.   Can anyone advise me on how do drop the 2nd destination and turn it into a point of exit to Seattle?  For instance are you trying to add your wife as a companion to the OAK-SEA leg only? If so from now on book one-way flights for scenarios like this.   OR   If you want to fly back from SMF to SEA instead of driving back to Oakland - same advice going forward, book one-ways - you'll have to call to make that change as part of your current round-trip ticket, or cancel and rebook online if the fares are similar or lower from when you originally booked.           ... View more