Southwest Airlines Community

A lot more potential here than LNK:     However still quite a bit less than what I consider to be one of the smaller Southwest stations at Pensacola PNS.      ... View more

I don't think there is enough traffic to take from United to make it worthwhile.    Taking people from OMA is great except if those are already Southwest customers then it doesn't make sense to spend a bunch of money to start a station at LNK if the passengers are already using OMA.   Your other point driving an hour to OMA - that's about how far I have to go time-wise living in the Chicago suburbs to get to MDW. I'd consider hour-long trip to the airport to be normal for many cities.   As @5280Av8r pointed out the key here would be identifying what the best point to point route would be - where are people from LNK going now that they have trouble going on United?   Otherwise Southwest would likely connect this location to Denver and Houston the same as United does.      ... View more

@BillKunde wrote: Southwest seems to be expanding their presence and holds the majority of existing flight operations out of the airport. It’s not as large as it is at Orlando or Lauderdale, but is Tampa considered a focus city? According to Wikipedia: no https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Southwest_Airlines_destinations   I guess the list of focus cities is the same as the list of crew bases from the other article.     ... View more

Go to your Profile to My Settings to the "preferences" sub-menu and see if one shows there for "Private Messenger"       ... View more

Here's the CDC:   COVID-19 | Disease Directory | Travelers' Health | CDC   Here is the "ending isolation" guidance. Isolation and Precautions for People with COVID-19 | CDC   ... View more

@parpitt1 wrote: It's all about personal experience. As you noted by saying, in "my" experience. In my experience they have delivered services as promised and when there have been issues have resolved them equitably. Pretty simple.  Safe Travels Two free checked bags, no change fees, overall very flexible network among the locations - i.e. often there are multiple routes to get somewhere.   Then once I was a regular A-list and companion pass have been great additional benefits.   Cost is often a little bit lower than what I would buy from the other guys as well when including a checked bag.   Personally I've found customer service to be very good. There will always be hiccups in air travel, for any airline.            ... View more

@Helenasue wrote: We are flying from Orlando to Columbus with my 3 year old and my 6 month old. My 3 year old has Leukodystrophy and uses a specific supportive stroller as his wheelchair as we're waiting for his custom chair to be built currently. He cannot walk, stand, or sit unassisted. Most strollers do not offer the support he needs, so I can't just buy a cheap one when we arrive at our destination or anything if his gets broken.    I want to make sure that his chair is stowed on the plane in wheelchair stowage and NOT in the cabin as I'm afraid it will get broken and we'll be up the creek with no way to transport him. However, since it's technically a stroller, I'm worried that they'll say no / that "real" wheelchairs have priority.    Is there a way to ensure that we will be able to utilize that space for his chair?  Can you clarify the question whether you want the chair in the cabin with you, or if it would be gate checked to the destination?   If gate checked do you have any bag for it?     ... View more

Congrats and enjoy!   Remember to book one-way tickets if you will have times when you want to add companion tickets for only part of your trip, that will save a phone conversation with customer support to add it for only part of a trip.         ... View more

All CP and TQP totals reset annually so it is just the January reset taking place. ... View more

@Ottercat wrote: Can I carry my seat cushion outside of my personal item (bag) without having the cushion count as my personal item (thus forcing me to check my bag)?    This is my first time flying and I'm lost on this stuff. I have a disability but I don't think this cushion counts as an aid (even though I will be dreadfully uncomfortable/miserable without it). I can't not have access to my medication so checking my bag is not an option.  Can you stick it in the handles of the carry-on suitcase? I think it would be fine.     ... View more

@DGroot33 wrote: Prior to December 25, 2023 I needed 1 more one-way flight to qualify for the 25th flight for A-list.  I flew my one-way on Christmas Day however the 25th flight isn't showing up in the count for A-list.  My return flight is after January 1, 2024.  Does that last flight on Christmas day count towards the last remaining requirement in 2023 to get A-list status in 2024?  Thanks for the feedback!  If the scenario arises again, book one way flights to earn the credit earlier.     ... View more

@sabrina17m wrote: My last flight for this year was Christmas Day earlier this week. I had planned to take a day trip to finish that final leg this week but unfortunately fell ill. Today, I looked into flights within the next 2 days and while I was seriously considering it, it is simply too costly to fly anywhere this weekend from my home airport.    All that said, has anyone experienced anything similar? What did you end up doing? Has anyone experienced a "challenge" akin to what one of the representatives described?   In all honesty, I am just yearning for some comfort knowing that I will lose my A-List status that I have benefitted from tremendously over the past few years. And as I am writing this, I am realizing this may ultimately result in me finally moving on to another airline, as my friends and family have fervently encouraged me to do so the past few years.  *sigh*    I just wanted to make sure was that trip that you canceled the second leg a round trip or one-ways? If it was a round trip then you may have one more flight in the bank, but you'll have to call and break the trip apart into two separate legs so that the first one can be processed. This should be retro-active, flights flow in a calendar year count for that year. I'd go back and count the up separately from your tracker and see.   Second issue - no spending won't do anything for you except some tier qualifying points from spending, but it sounds like you aren't close on points basis, so forget all of those suggestions anyway. A-List is great but you wouldn't want to spend thousands chasing it.   Third issue you most likely will be given some sort of challenge offer early next year to woo you back - as you mentioned in your last point you will be a free agent and it is everyone's best interest to get you back on the A-list.   Also print out a screenshot of your status now tonight while you still have it, so you can do a status match with whichever other airline you like second best just in case.     ... View more

@Ottercat wrote: Can I carry my seat cushion outside of my personal item (bag) without having the cushion count as my personal item (thus forcing me to check my bag)?    This is my first time flying and I'm lost on this stuff. I have a disability but I don't think this cushion counts as an aid (even though I will be dreadfully uncomfortable/miserable without it). I can't not have access to my medication so checking my bag is not an option.  You can have two items - so if you have a cushion and a personal item you in effect have two personal items.   You can have two personal items, but not two carry-on luggage items. (i.e. not supposed to put two items in the overhead.)     ... View more

@Ms_Lis wrote: Also, which is better under the circumstances: Business Select with A1-A15 priority boarding, or Anytime fares with EarlyBird check-in? Back to your original question I think the usefulness of these are different.   For the little extra money to go from Anytime to BS I would say always go BS to get the 12x points and earlier position. It is leaps and bounds better when comparing the two refundable options.   Other than the possibility of through passengers previously discussed, preboarders who usually take the front few rows, you'll be one of the first ones on so very good chances for something towards the front or exit row. Note that I often see through passengers just stay where they are and not take the exit rows FWIW. Anytime with EBCI is getting you after all of the A-list so you might still be good for an aisle or a window but there will probably be 30 or so people before you and sometimes more.        ... View more

@Ms_Lis wrote: I've been flying Southwest for a while, so I'm familiar with the procedures. I'm just wondering how much benefit there is when there are through passengers already aboard. There are plenty of times when a flight is offered as a through passenger route but in practice there aren't very many. For instance a flight number starts on the east coast, goes through Midway, and then to Orlando - not too many people actually use the through passenger option on that one, they get better connections through BWI, ATL, BNA, etc.    You can consider if your flight is in a straight line of a continuing flight or right angle maybe there will be more, if its a route where there is a massive double-back then probably fewer.   But there isn't any way to know ahead of time unfortunately.     ... View more

@calcifer wrote: Hello, I have searched this forum with no clear answer. When purchasing the $8 wifi, can I please switch devices and use one at a time, as other airlines have standard. Thank you I don't think is an available option right now.    I would sent it in as a suggestion using the Contact Southwest Customer Service methods, I'll do the same.     ... View more

Very low - don't check anything you can't live without or valuable as there is some slight risk.   Priceless item times 0.005 still equals priceless.   Here's an infographic from a CNET article that you might enjoy on the topic. You can see there is a range from 1 to 6 per 1,000 so the rate of mishandling is less than half a percent for Southwest.   https://www.cnet.com/culture/airline-most-likely-to-lose-your-luggage/ If you can, I'd suggest to put an airtag in the bag as a fall back measure in case it does go missing - which still you are likely to get it back even if it is delayed - but then on the rare occasion it goes missing and can't be found you may be able to provide some direction.     ... View more

Send a kudos by social media or using the Contact Southwest Customer Service and you can lodge an official "thank you" to Joy.     ... View more

@kdenflyer wrote: I get the same error in a private incognito window.    Also, I still get emails for the discussion boards I subscribed to, so the account is still active in a sense. I just cannot login to it.    I will need the help of a moderator if I am to recover my account. Tagging @CarlyeThornton can you help?     ... View more

@makenkizo wrote: @DancingDavidE Thank you for reassuring me and giving me data regarding flight safety. I've heard of it before but probably the influence of these movies are much greater 😄 I also heard accidents usually happens right after take off or during landing, these are the moments where I pray dearly for safety 🙂   Turbulence is also another thing that scares me but I've seen a pilot explaining that it is almost impossible to crash during turbulence but planes shaking like crazy will definitely scare anyone I believe 😄   Feel free to go for a "Hail Mary" at that time if it is your religion or any other prayer if it reassures you.   If you wear your seatbelt when seated then you are in great shape for surprise turbulence. It's easier to avoid in the USA domestic flights since there are so many planes flying around and each one lets the others know if it gets bumpy, whether to go higher or lower, etc. International (over the sea) can be a little more surprising since there isn't as much opportunity for warning. The biggest danger is to the Flight Attendants who will be walking in the cabin and not wearing seatbelts.     ... View more

@makenkizo wrote: @SoCalFlyer97  Furthermore, I'm afraid of flying, maybe because of watching too many documentaries or movies 😄   Movies yes, documentaries maybe if you are watching ones about accidents but you'll find when normalized by passenger mile that commercial air travel is extremely safe.    There were some major improvements industry-wide after the DC-10 crash at O'Hare in 1979 and I personally would fly for any trip that I was going to drive more than 4.5 hours (and that I didn't need my car at the destination).   If you look at the Bureau of Transportation Statistics you will not want to travel any significant distance on motorcycles, by far the most likely per passenger mile to have an accident.   @makenkizo wrote: @SoCalFlyer97 I always prefer to cross by land if the time difference and convenience isn't that big from flying. 😄   As far as this part goes, it might be economical but there would also be some ease of travel if you are starting at a Southwest airport and ending at a Southwest airport (Cancun, Cabo, PVR, Cozumel) then personally I'd stick with Southwest all the way.    Or for a recent trip to MEX I used one of the other guys which I could get direct from Chicago.      ... View more

@Kgmflyer5884 wrote: @DancingDavidE  Thanks very much for listing some of the ways a RT might not be as good as 2 OW flights. I didn’t know you couldn’t cancel a return online if you’ve already completed the outbound! I don't know if this is absolute, it doesn't sound right now that we're discussing it further...I'm second guessing if I had some other simultaneous issue that caused it not to be available online?   Who changes their flights all the time... @bec102896 does this work for you?             ... View more

@Kgmflyer5884 wrote: Would you share the other reasons why you recommend booking one-way vs RT? Easier to change one leg or are there other advantages? As @dfwskier points out you don't get penalized on tier qualifying for missing your return flight - right now you would be at risk if you no-showed your return then you wouldn't get that credit for the earlier flight either. Making them separate you don't impact the other one if something goofy happens.   Then the same thing also for the travel credit - if you no-showed an earlier leg the whole trip gets canceled without travel credit, besides forfeiting the points from the earlier segments.   There are also some times when you want to cancel the second flight instead of change it but you can't do it online if you already flew the first leg, you'll have to call.    If you have companion pass you may also want to bring the companion on only one leg of a trip and they are either meeting you there or staying longer - whatever the case is you have to call to do it and then the companion gets unliked from your A-list. If you want to self-service this option and keep the companion linked for A-list companion benefit, book one-ways.   Then statistically speaking if a majority of people fly round trips and the current A-list hurdle is 25 flights then all of those people who only fly round trips are going to miss out on A-list on flight #26 because they haven't completed their itinerary. (This will be minimized next year with the hurdle being 20 flights.)   Sometimes you want to use points but not for the whole trip - book one ways and you can mix points and cash. I guess that will be an option in 2024 also.   Unless you have a promo code I haven't ever noticed on Southwest getting a discount for RT pricing - this doesn't apply to the legacy airlines, they may have cheaper RT or minimum stay that you don't get booking one-ways.   Last one for now is when people are booking a large reservation for multiple people and they are using travel credit you can run out of payment methods. But if you book one-ways the limit of three methods is now six methods. (Actually five - you'll end up using cash either way to top off most of the time for both one-ways.)    TL;DR - you'll often end up in a scenario where you can't self-service changes to a trip that's already in progress or lose flexibility with companions, payment methods, and changing to a multi-city trip. Also earning status mid-trip.   Downsides - there are some things to consider - you have to remember more confirmation numbers, and might have to explain yourself during irregular operations if weather affects your earlier flight and it won't be linked to your later flight that you now can't make. Potentially you could have "the red bar" allowing rescheduling of one of your legs and the other leg is outside of the accommodation period.       ... View more

@kdenflyer wrote: Yes, I have definitely thought about it. I went back and looked at the community guidelines but saw no reason why I would have been banned, especially without notice. So if that is the case, I'm sure it was an accident. You are on the same server that you are using to post now and the same result across browsers or devices?     ... View more

@CupCrusher40 wrote: MDW gets lake fog, kord rarely That's correct, for fog it would rarely be an issue at ORD so if the OP is looking at the airlines flying there and comparing to MDW it wouldn't be the same at all.     ... View more

@OwenAsher wrote: Hello Southwest enthusiasts! I hope this message finds you well. As a passionate traveler and Southwest Airlines fan, I find myself in need of some guidance. I'm planning an upcoming trip and would love to tap into the wealth of knowledge within the Southwest community. My question is regarding the best practices for maximizing the benefits of Southwest's Rapid Rewards program. Are there any seasoned travelers out there who have discovered unique tips or tricks to earn more points, or perhaps optimize their redemptions for the best value? Your insights and experiences are invaluable, and I'm eager to hear from fellow Southwest aficionados. Feel free to share your wisdom and help a fellow traveler plan the perfect Southwest adventure. Thank you in advance for your contributions, and happy travels to you all! Can you describe the upcoming trip a little more? That would help with any ticket booking, cars, hotels advice.     ... View more

@CupCrusher40 wrote: for software needs 8 hour gap No, you can book tighter at least with Southwest.     ... View more

@ZevSupport wrote: Definitely agree here If we go enjoy the lounge in D gates at LAS and then all of a sudden see the delayed flight is suddenly on time it's a bit of mad dash through the people movers!   One time they boarded our flight early, we got there right about 30 minutes prior and the gate was empty, the last people were just getting on and at first I assumed it was the flight before ours But it turns out they were avoiding some weather and left early. I'm sure we were about to hear our names on the intercom when we realized we should board right away. Did not get to sit next to each other.         ... View more