Southwest Airlines Community

@dfwskier wrote: forty bucks to get 2000 points sounds a but pricey to me. $0.02/point maybe high but not piracy 🏴‍☠️    Now if it was TQP we’re talking but it seems like regular RR points.  ... View more

@papakat wrote: Can someone tell me if you pay the Travel agency to purchase tickets for you and there needs to be a change IS IT policy from Southwest to only authorize a change from the travel agency rather than the individual in this case? Thank you all for your time and insight 1) yes there are ways the travel agent can book things that require them to make changes, that seems horribly inconvenient for Sunday travel though if they are closed. I don’t think they had to do it that way.  2) I’m not familiar with this approach on Southwest to make a reservation without a ticket, maybe someone else can chime in. I’m not sure what “change” they were expecting you to make if everything was according to schedule and you couldn’t fly this sounds like an error on the travel agents part.   Please let us know if you find out more info.   It sounds like a bad travel agent if they were expecting you to take some action Sunday morning to fly and not telling you what that would entail.     ... View more

@BHoms wrote: Ehh...boarding position is nice but not the biggest deal. I'm more intrigued by the same day change.  We typically travel for our kids sports so often book the last flight of the day departing, just to make room for rain outs, shedule changes.  But often times that leaves us sitting around a random city for hours after their games end.  Standby has been iffy so the guaranteed change would be a big benefit.  That’s a little tricky since everyone that had the Alist could confirm but the rest of the party that was not Alist wouldn’t be sure to do that (your chance of an exception is helped by having one Alist in the group, and then also how full the targeted flight is) - you can also buy WGA+ fares for the rest of your group to increase the flexibility of others. (Unless your whole family is in the same situation being a few points short?)   Did you buy a lot of Business Select fares? It would be feasible to approach A-list with 5-10 flights if you only bought BS fares.       ... View more

Thanks for pointing this out, many people do know about this and it has been mentioned on this community before.    I'm all for more awareness, and I would agree that it would be nice if when you booked the new flight there was some automatic warning of a potential double-booking right at that moment.   I don't know for sure about the logic on which flight to cancel vs price, time it was booked, etc. Did the phone agent confirm that it cancels the more expensive flight?   I'd be inclined to suggest a revision to the logic that keeps the more recently booked flight regardless of cost, but that's just me.   But to one of your points - you do consent to this in the terms but it may not be well known and of course few people are reading all of the referenced terms and conditions.   I'm glad that your situation was resolved.   ... View more

Can you elaborate on the promotion? The ability to earn tier qualifying points is limited so if you are flying very often then I'd say this would generally be worth it.   It goes a bit beyond the offset cost of EBCI or upgraded boarding - it's also the priority line at the check-in if you need assistance, it's the same day flexibilities, there are other advantages that would be hard to quantify. (Well they can be quantified but it increases the number of scenarios to model by an order of magnitude.)   And then of course if you are flying 10+ times then I think you most likely would feel like it was worth the $150.    People flying 24 times or the equivalent in points it's a no-brainer to fly that extra points run to earn it.            ... View more

@ggalipeau wrote: I was boarding a flight the other day with my family. There are 4 of us (2 adults and 2 kids, 11 and 14). Since our flight has rows of 3, we had to split up. The exit row was empty. So, I sat there and my family sat in front of me (in a non-exit row). The flight attendant told me I have to move. They said it’s a “conflict of interest” if my children are sitting in the row in front or behind me. I checked the southwest page for the requirements to sit in exit row and could not find this rule. Also, the rule as stated by the flight attendant makes no sense. They would be the closest to the exit row if they sit in front or behind me. So, if I let them off first that is just the correct order of letting people off (I don’t see a conflict of interest). Regardless on if the rule makes sense or not, I am just curious if this is a “real” rule that is written down anywhere?   Thanks in advance. And, in case anyone is wondering - I did not argue and just moved seats when asked. I am only asking this because I am curious. This is a first time hearing this for me. I'm trying to recall if we ever did this ourselves and my memory is fuzzy, we typically would be 2x2 or 3 and 1 either in front, behind, or across the aisle so our typical method here could include three in the row in front or behind the exit row and me in the exit row.          ... View more

Here is the current guidance on service animals: Flying with Service Animals | Southwest Airlines   This older thread is the only place I've ever seen mention about buying an extra seat for the floorspace.     ... View more

@parpitt1 wrote:   There are websites that encourage this deceptive practice as way to save money. It is unfortunate that your honesty lost you points. Kudos to you for being honest. If you had the name of the SWA representative you notified of your intentions to leave the flight maybe there might be some recourse? Safe Travels I don't think there would be any difference in the outcome here whether notifying the staff or not in regards to the points - either way the itinerary isn't being completed as booked.   I agree it would be courteous to let the staff know so they aren't potentially holding that aircraft if they think you are in the bathroom or something, but canceling the second leg in that way would technically require a rebooking to the current offering for a SAV-MDW instead of what was actually booked. (And regardless if the effort actually saved money or not although people doing it on purpose are generally trying to save a few bucks.)   If there was really some exceptional circumstance where you said to them that I can't board that flight I'm staying then you should be doing what is necessary for you, knowing the consequences in Rapid Rewards.      ... View more

Unfortunately the navigator doesn't filter the dates so it will show a direct flight if one exists on the current schedule, and then when you narrow it down to specific dates the non-stop may vanish.   PHX and AUS are both good layover options.      ... View more

@Kjopalensky wrote: I left my AirPods on flight 2109 tail number N8557Q from BNA to RSW 6:15 PM CST - 9:15PM EST. I called customer service and nobody was willing to check the plane for me to secure my item. They told rather than someone checking the plane for me, I had to submit a request online at lost and found case # 81458748. The customer service rep ensured me they do a thorough inspection on the plane and it would be found and turned in. Of course it was not found and turned in by southwest employee’s Luke it should have. Instead my AirPods were last seen in Midway International Airport in Chicago on 11/23 at 5:07am. So in spite of me calling immediately the same night I realized I left my item in the plane, and the customer service rep explaining it would be found and turned in, it was not, and it in now in Chicago as of the date and time given above and nobody is willing to help me find my item. Go When did you realize they were lost? Was the tracking in Chicago the next morning?   Obviously the system in intended to find any items when the plane is turned, however if your plane was unloaded in RSW and then went to MDW right away it would be a challenge to find such a small item without delaying the flight. It is also possible that a fellow passenger found them and they were along for the ride, or still on the plane if they fell into the seat or were behind the pamplets.   I can see it would be frustrating if you were calling from baggage claim, there would still be a chance. If it was after the plane left then there would be a big chance of a fellow passenger finding them.    I hope you do get them back!         ... View more

@CBMcD23 wrote: I am traveling with my one year old as a lap child and my husband. I know that my husband and I each get a carry on and a personal item. I know my child doesn’t get a carry on because she isn’t a paid seat but I was wondering if she gets a person item (like a diaper bag).  Only if you have formula/milk it would be counted as an additional item allowance but a "dry" diaper bag would count towards you and your husband's collective four items.   Combining things is okay - if you had a separate purse for example as long as you can put it in the diaper bag to board, it doesn't matter if you take it out later during flight and have three items, you mainly have two missions: Get seated with your two items, and each person gets one overhead and one underseat - if after you separate the purse and diaper bag they still fit in your underseat area you are all good.         ... View more

@dfwskier wrote: Not I.   I quesiton it's appeal -- not at a lot of places that WN is.   Interesting ORD might work. They apparently have a cooperative agreement with Swissport -- which you have to walk past to get to WN's T5 gates. Actually it's in the other direction now that Delta took the T1-T6 and Southwest is in the 30's and 40.   SAS is on the way, but not part of Priority Pass.     ... View more

Columbus also a pretty busy Southwest airport, depending on traffic might be easier than Midway.    It might be a long shot, having less than a million passengers in a year will be a challenge, Southwest is usually having busier markets than that since they are only flying 737's and not having any smaller regional jets.     ... View more

Southwest Routes List | Southwest Airlines - looks like Long Beach if you want to have a non-stop flight.   I don't see LAX, ONT, BUR, SNA, or Palm Springs in this list.   However a layover isn't so bad if you can give yourself a reasonable but not excessive amount of time, if you allow LAS, DEN, BNA or PHX as connections you might get into SNA instead.   DAL also listed - not my favorite layover. LAS can be a walk if you need to change concourses.   Plenty of options! But it's LGB if you want non-stop.             ... View more

Not from Orlando.   If you go to the Route Map and then change it to list view, you can select a city as either origin or destination and click "filter by nonstops" and see all of the non-stop options to or from a certain airport.   Here are the non-stops TO LAX. (Non-stops FROM LAX may be different) Southwest Routes List | Southwest Airlines     This list doesn't filter by day or season so as long as there is currently a scheduled non-stop at any time or date it will show up here.     ... View more

@RareTraveler wrote: We were among those who were affected by the travel cancellations back in December 2022. In January we received the claim codes for 25000 for each ticket. I claimed the 2 codes for me and my son and husband claimed the third one. My  husband doesn't travel much and so he just now accessed his account for the first time since then. The 25K points are not there. Do we have any recourse? This is something that in hindsight you/he should have checked on right away.    Check the activity on the account as well, not just the current balance that may not be accurately remembered from that long ago.    Also make sure there aren't multiple accounts, and it went into another account.     ... View more

Funny layout for this room, but looks nice.   Thanks for the report, always love reading your write-ups! ... View more

@dfwskier wrote: I don't know if this is real or not   Buy At Sams Club With a Chase FREEDOM (not RR) card starting 11/23   https://www.doctorofcredit.com/costco-com-500-southwest-egiftcard-for-450-limit-5/ Sam's has some percentage off regularly, Costco also - definitely keep an eye out for these.     ... View more

@kpaca001 wrote: We recently booked a hotel for a stay in Glasgow, United kingdom.  When our train was cancelled the day of our reservation and we were unable to reach our destination the customer service was not understanding and less than helpful.   As soon as we found out our misfortune, we called to cancel the hotel through Southwest as the circumstances were outside of our control.  We were anticipating that with the booking being advertised at the time of booking as the Hilton Hotel Grosvenor it would follow their cancellation Policy with my husbands status in their tiered rewards. We came to find out that the hotel was NOT a Hilton and had been for quite some time.   We only book Hilton Hotels as they have great customer service and understanding with circumstances like the one that we were in.   We explained this to the customer service and that their posting and our receipt clearly stated that the Hotel was a Hilton and they wouldn't do anything or help in any way despite the fact that their listing and booking was clearly a lie and misleading.   It's astounding that a company can get away with lying and blame their customers.  Be aware of bookings through Southwest as they will not help their customers and do not care that they are providing false information on the hotels on their website.    I'm a little surprised if you are high volume Hilton customers that you don't book direct through Hilton to get the cancelation and points benefits. I'm a lot surprised if you have booked through any third-party sites that you would be able to use the Hilton tier benefits, these would have been stated in the booking and not subject to any modification by Hilton. (Or in this case not Hilton.)   I'm all for earning Southwest points but if you are staying at hotels that often, the best value and flexibility will be with hotel points directly.     ... View more

@dlcpe33 wrote: Thanks, that was a great idea!  I called in and the SWA agent let me split it into two one-way reservations on the same flights, and because the fare since decreased, we all got travel credits.   That's my favorite kind, even better!         ... View more

@muel87 wrote: Yeah, that's not an accurate comparison.  For one, those tickets are likely more, but more importantly this isnt all "new" spending.  People are using the CC for things they're already buying, in our case there was no new spending at all.   That's a wise policy, I would only recommend to buy something extra if you are close at the end. It's not a good way to start off.     ... View more

@floridaguy wrote: We just went through this on another airline when visiting Anguilla.  No matter what the limit, someone always wants to push the envelope.  This particular character got an oversized bag on board and shoved it into the overhead bin to the point that the fiberglass framing was bowed.     The door wouldn't close.  They advised him to reduce the size of the bag or have it checked.   The best solution would have been to toss the bag off the plane and advise the passenger to pick it up off the tarmac on his next trip.   I have proposed that all baggage be screened by TSA for size and rejected at the TSA screening and send the person back to have it checked, then re-enter TSA screening.  With rules like that no one will push the envelope.     50" for carry-ons and the dimensions are not meant to be tradeable so if you don't use all of the 24" you don't get to claim that extra on the width.       ... View more

@tappingmom1 wrote: When extended, that particular duffle bag measures 36" x 16" x 15".    A checked bag on SWA must measure 62 linear inches or less.  Linear inches are calculated as L + W + H.  Your bag (36 + 16 + 15) is 67 inches...so it would be too large as free check baggage and subject to an additional charge.   As you look for something a bit smaller, consider the 50 pound weight limit as well.  Often times, these larger bags are over packed and, thus, over the weight limit.  An additional overweight charge could apply to this too.   This might slip through for checked luggage, they probably aren't going to bust out the tape measures for something that's close as long as you stick to the <50 lbs limit.   This will be way too big for carry on unless your flight is pretty empty.     ... View more

@sindhuagarwal wrote: I'm currently at the airport, and I've encountered a issue with the airline's mobile boarding pass app. It seems to be experiencing technical glitches, preventing me from accessing my boarding pass and important flight information. I'm curious if anyone else is facing similar challenges at the moment or has recently. If you have any insights into potential solutions or workarounds, please share them. Additionally, let's use this space to discuss our experiences with mobile boarding passes and how we can navigate technical issues in real-time. You are welcome to post here on any applicable topic including that one - it doesn't look like you happened to catch anyone in real-time on this trip but hopefully it all worked out and you were on your way with a smooth trip.   I would suggest if you didn't try all this already to turn off wifi in case you are picking up the airport signal but not logged in, or another network.    Then also force quit the app and restart.    Verify your login information was remembered and/or log out and log back in.    Last advice is to take a screenshot of your pass or download to your phone's wallet so that you have an archive of it without needing the app (or internet at all).     ... View more

@SoCalFlyer97 wrote: Not going to opine but just stating for the record:   I usually have one or two Southwest roundtrips per month and I've started to document the number of pre-boards for my trips in response to the Pre-board subject on this board. I have been posting them in my last three Photo Trip Reports:   https://community.southwest.com/t5/Inflight-Experience/Nov-23-Photo-Trip-Report-SAN-LAS-with-Formula-1-Track/m-p/165643 Inbound 4, Outbound 3   https://community.southwest.com/t5/Inflight-Experience/Oct-23-Photo-Trip-Report-SAN-SJC-with-Halloween-D%C3%A9cor-and-a/m-p/164762 Inbound 2, Outbound 6   https://community.southwest.com/t5/Inflight-Experience/Sept-23-Promo-Companion-Pass-Photo-Trip-Report-SAN-PHX/m-p/164489 Inbound 3, Outbound 4   Before I started documenting this, I recall the most pre-boards I've seen in 2023 for my flights was one instance where about 10 pre-boarded. Most flights for me have been around 3-5.  I haven't been recording mine but my experience is fairly similar, maybe a little higher rate but also a lot more trips to MCO in the mix.     ... View more

@giulianoseguro wrote:   This is our first time flying Southwest (and new here too) - im mainly looking to understand the boarding situation and whether or not I should get the earlybird.   ...Also, is there any benefit in us getting the earlybird? I'm totally ok paying it if it makes for a smoother trip overall but not sure. To answer your other question you do not need to buy the Early Bird if you plan to pre-board, there's no additive benefit.          ... View more

@Mryan1 wrote: Understood.  I was hoping if the reservation is non-refundable we would get credit for the RR points before the rest January 1st.  I see it states it is after the stay. Before I spend the extra cost to get the points, I want to make sure it will be recognized by January 1st paying for it today. Thanks. For example, WGA fares are also non-refundable - those you also get when you fly, not when you buy.   It's very clear "upon hotel stay completed by..."       ... View more

@Mryan1 wrote: Quick question to the experienced hotel and RR travelers.  I am very close to earning a companion pass for next year with expected hotel stay mid-January.  If I book a non-refundable hotel stay today, do I get the RR points at the time of billing, or do I have to wait until after I stay at the property.  I suspect being non-refundable it should not matter when, but wanted to ask more experienced travelers.    the hotel we are looking at is $300 more than another site, but if we get the companion pass with the spend it would be worth it.  Thanks!! That is correct @confused1 as stated - if you pay today you'll get the 300+ points for the $300+ with the current billing statement. You'll get the rapid rewards points for the stay when you stay in 2024.    Here is the cheat sheet on how you can get some additional points. How close are you? https://www.southwest.com/html/rapidrewards/eoy-tier-communication.html         ... View more