Southwest Airlines Community

@dfwskier wrote: The only way to insure you get TSA pre every time is to register for it and pay the fee.   TSA does occsionally give travelers TSA pre-check free of charge. It does not happen every time someone travels. The process appears random, but I'm sure that TSA has some type of algorithm that decides when a traveler gets the freebe.   https://www.tsa.gov/precheck Technically not guaranteed even with the application, but seems to be coming through most times for most people.   User error by having your name not match or forgetting to enter the known traveler number when you book your ticket seem to be two preventable reasons that it doesn't show up on peoples' boarding passes.     ... View more

@barinvestigatio wrote: I used to get Pre-check automatically, but on my most recent trip, 06/27/2018 - 07/02/2018, I was advised I had to apply for it?  Strange.  How do I register me and my wife? It was being offered as a complimentary upgrade quite a bit to spur adoption and collect data on its use for a while.    I'm not sure of all the negotiations between TSA and the airlines, etc. but the issuance of complimentary PreCheck seems to have been curtailed recently, so if you enjoyed having it then you should sign up either with PreCheck or if you travel internationally very often consider Global Entry for a little extra cost which includes PreCheck along with some streamlining at customs.   Here is the Global Entry link: https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/global-entry/how-apply   Note that some credit cards include a reimbursement for applying for these on a five year cycle, maybe you happen to have one of these: https://thetravelsisters.com/how-to-get-tsa-precheck-or-global-entry-for-free/       ... View more

@rtbarron wrote: The answer is here: https://www.southwest.com/html/generated/help/faqs/earlybird_checkin_faq.html Scroll down to the last question. Here's what it says in case you want to trust me instead of seeing the "official" answer.   It says 25 hours there, but wouldn't it actually be 36 hours prior?   But yes, changes to a reservation would generally carry the EBCI with them, canceling and rebooking will not.   David   ... View more

You'd certainly be able to put it in a suitacase with some clothes or other much lighter items to keep it secured, or if you had a box for it or could make something to keep it from moving around in the suitcase too much.   Depending on the total weight if your suitacse is too big, put an empty box in there to take up space so that the mixer is not going to bounce around.   Maybe post a picture of your item in case anyone has particular suggestions about how to secure it.         ... View more

@rtbarron wrote: I noticed a lot of flight crews using Travelpro so I bought one of their carry-on bags five years ago. It has held up well. /www.travelpro.com I've noticed this also and have been intrigued to consider one of these. I do sometimes check my bag, so I wasn't sure where the flight crew luggage seems to be in great condition, but probably also is rarely checked.   I'll check out @TheMiddleSeat's recommendation as well.    I also am a Costco member so I'm curious if anyone has purchased one of their options and liked them. Some Kirkland stuff is a slam dunk, and other items are cheaper in both cost and quality.   I have been using an "embark" suitcase for seven years, it was from Target as one of their exlusive brands and although cheap it has been an amazing bag for me. The handle gave out at the 4.5 year timeframe so I had a warranty repair. The bearing seems to be going out of one wheel now that it is out of warranty so I'm shopping as well.   My preference is for an orange suitcase, so that seemed to limit some of the brands which are only black/gray combos. For the perfect piece I'll forgo the orange though.       ... View more

@fungible wrote: Hello, I'm trying to fly from BOS to LAX.   I found a flight with a connection in MDW, but I discovered that it is actually cheaper to book the two segments (BOS-MDW and MDW-LAX) separately. I'm wondering if there is any risk in booking these two flights under a multi-city itinerary?   For example, in the past, when I had a flight with connections and one of the flight segments was delayed or cancelled, I was able to be rebooked on another flight to my destination for free. If a cancellation or delay happens, would I not be able to be rerouted for free under the multi-city booking? I'm speculating a little bit, in combination with @bec102896's reply - Southwest won't want you to assemble a multiple city path when a packaged option is available. Them having a four-hour restriction migth accomplish a couple of things:   Keeps people from optimizaing a few bucks on multiple one-ways where a published connection exists. Protects the flyer by providing re-booking for irregular operations where the separate one-ways might be re-booked with discretion of the gate agent, but don't seem to be obligated to be rebooked. Protects flyers that don't realize they may need to re-check baggage etc. - for a saavy flyer it might be fine, but they don't want people to accidentally do this and have a problem on the day of travel that could have been prevented. So anyway for your question - how much does it save, and I expect that it isn't using exactly the same flights as the published connection? I don't think this is worth it over less then $50 personally unless you plan to actually do something in Chicago for a few hours - the risk of a flight schedule hiccup becomes yours to some degree instead of Southwest's. (Especially at Midway, depending when the trip is weather could be a risk.)         ... View more

@Eertnuor wrote: Any other airline (and online agency like Orbitz, Kayak, etc) offers this option for online search: Airports A to B to C to A. But not Southwest.   If you want that trip, you have to book two separate tickets: Airports A to B to C, and then Airports C to A. Huh? When I wrote customer service their answer was “this option is only preferred by a few customer” so tough luck. Seems short-sighted. So I am booking online with Delta or American I guess. Any ideas as to why they continue to not offer this?  Unless the stop in B was a day trip, I would probably book these as one-way tickets on Southwest, for the most part in my favor for ease of management of the tickets.    I thought on a previous thread we learned that although these are separate tickets they could be combined into one confirmation number if that was your concern, but you'd have to call to do it, it's not a self-service option.   I'm not sure what the advantage for you would be with the other guys being able to do that, which you couldn't do with Southwest by making separate tickets? The cost on Southwest would be the same either way.     ... View more

@elijahbrantley wrote: Also, I understand that direct is best, but I frequently connect going from east to west and back. It worth it to me to stick to SW. It’s even better if you can have a one stop no plane change situation. I find that connecting through Denver is great because it is the least out of the way.  I wish that they would actually allow for longer layovers so there would be time to sit down and eat, there are some good spots at Denver and Las Vegas which are two connecting airports that come up a lot for me.   I'd take direct first in almost any case if available for equivalent price, then I would prefer a 2-hour layover, and lastly I'd go for a 45 minute to 1.5 hour layover. No plane change would be my last choice, if I have a layover I'd rather get out and stretch than sit on the plane.             ... View more

@rdf18 wrote: I'm trying to find crew or traveler that will take this little rescue puppy from Houston to NY. His foster will pick him up in Kennedy if that's where he lands. The caretaker of this dog is an older gentleman and is in the hospital. We are trying to avoid him being brought to a shelter.  If anyone can help, please e-mail me at rferrary@gmail.com or call 340-690-0498. Thank you much! https://www.gofundme.com/transport-and-vetting If flying Southwest then your options in the metropolitan area are Newark or Laguardia. I have also flown Southwest to Albany, and I see Long Island Islip at the airports as a destination as well.     ... View more

@dfwskier wrote: Regretably, what you ran in to  was a policy that has been in place for as long as I can remember.   Did you try to explain your situation to the gate agent? Many times they can be quite accomodating to passengers.  The new part of the policy is that A-list can same-day standby under certain conditions, so it is specifically clarified as a benefit for frequent flyers now. Also if your original flight is delayed more than two hours I believe, although that implies you are at the airport waiting for an earlier flight way in advance.         ... View more

@IntraTraveller wrote:   I was flying back from PV, Mexico last week and was doing the online checkin for my wife and myself.   We had a connecting flight once we were back in the states as well.  When checking us both in online at exactly 24 hours prior tonthe flight, i was able to check my wife in and not check myself in. My wife was able to get into “A” boarding group. I was told by the mobile app that i was unable to check in and needed to go to the ticket counter.  Googling this scenario, I foond others in this situation with Southwest before. They got the dreaded SSSS on their physically printed boarding pass.   Did you book one-way flights for the trip? I guess one clarification is that this isn't always a random event, although TSA advertises that there may be some random component.   Although I usually recommend one-way flights on Southwest for a variety of reasons, maybe a reason to book round trip for international is that you may be flagged for SSSS.     ... View more

@dugsage wrote: Still just a little unclear on this, but it appears it's going in the right direction.     1) Can I get ALL boarding passes for the three travelers under my ticket confirmation on my own Southwest App?  Or, do each of the travelers need to have their own ticket on their own app?  Can I do this either way (meaning does it have to be all on one app/user, or could it be each separate? 2) Does it matter if one traveler got Early-Bird check-in?  Assume so, as if the Early-Bird traveler gets on first, the other two would need their ticket on their own app... I haven't booked this way myself so I haven't experienced it personally, but the wording above in the press release was "passengers that are logged in" which implies each passenger having their own. This will be easy enough to verify when you check-in at T-24 to get your boarding pass, then you'll know whether to allow time at a kiosk or not the next day.     ... View more

@IntraTraveller wrote:   I have no issues with getting the additional screening, but where i do have an issue is that since you cannot checkin online and have to go to the ticket counter to get a boarding pass, you basically fall into the “C” boarding group. This is not an issue on other airlines because they do assigned seating. On SWA, you get mid to high “C” boarding numbers.  To make matters worse, this carries through to connecting flights.     That is a pain! For A-list members then you could board at "A61" but that wouldn't work for everyone.   Do they allow Early Bird for the international flights? I guess hopefully you'd be refunded the EBCI if you couldn't check in.       ... View more

@sschnoor wrote: Thank you.  I am aware of that, but doesn’t help for what I’m looking for.   I was looking for a digital version of the rapid rewards card. , like other airlines.  Comes in handy when the iOS app updates, wipes your login/Face ID settings, and then you have to find the rapid rewards number to log in.   They didn't do this that I know of, but I think you can enter it to your contacts as an extra field or in the details, or take a photo in Evernote or OneNote if you use those (and then the text would be searchable in the graphics).     ... View more

@GETTINGLESSFAT wrote: Dut to my recent grastic surgery , I am limited on the size of my meal. When are going to WDW and Universal . I want to know if I can bring cans if tuna or chicken with me ? Does it have to be checked or can it be on my carry on? If you are renting a car, there is a grocery store chain called "Publix" in the area as well as Winn-Dixie or even Walgreens where you could stock up on the way to your hotel.     ... View more

@rtbarron wrote: @DancingDavidE wrote:   Those guys may not havllbeen pre-boarders, they were more likely to be connecting passengers that got off the flight and then re-boarded. Did you see them scan their tickets? My experience has been that pre-boarders are enforced not to take exit rows, I don't think I've seen it a single time in hundreds of flighs.   Connecting through passengers however snatch those seats up!     That was my thought exactly. Flight Attendants are very diligent about who sits in the exit row. I can't imagine them letting six pre-boarders take the entire row. Yes - to clarify I've seen people try it and get bounced, I haven't seen them successfully grab the exit rows. ... View more

T @traveling_man wrote: I also have become extremely frustrated with the increasing number of preboards on my SWA flights. This week the gate agent allowed 5 people to pre-board with the one person sitting in a wheel chair. There were an additional 7 wheel chairs lined up to board on the flight from LAX to PHX. There were 2 couples that appeared to be in great shape that strolled on after preboarding. This was just one flight and I am seeing it over and over. A few weeks ago I was changing planes in Chicago on my way from GRR to PHX. 6 young men in their 20's preboarded and plopped down in the exit rows. The flight attendants did nothing to enforce the rule regarding where preboards can sit. I have been flying SWA at least one round trip a week for the last 21 years and I have never seen this level of disgust by the regular business travelers that support your airline year round. There are many regular travelers that are looking at other options. I put up with it because I love having my companion pass for my wife to travel with me but many of us are no longer feeling the LUV.  Those guys may not have been pre-boarders, they were more likely to be connecting passengers that got off the flight and then re-boarded. Did you see them scan their tickets? My experience has been that pre-boarders are enforced not to take exit rows, I don't think I've seen it a single time in hundreds of flighs.   Connecting through passengers however snatch those seats up!     ... View more

We're in the 30 pound range at 2 years old and it seems to be a good fit for us.   I think it would work for a little bit smaller child, on their website they say 22 lbs.   Also if your kid is a little Houdini, they would be able to sneak out the bottom of the harness, especially if on the smaller side.   But yeah - way easier and flexible than the car seat.     ... View more

@TheMiddleSeat wrote: While drink coupons are ok, you wouldn't want to miss out on getting credit card offers every other week. Definitely change your address! #sarcasm   --TheMiddleSeat Actually I get my drink coupons, change my address to yours, fly nine legs, and then change it back to me in time for drink coupons again.     ... View more

@ElenaKilduff wrote: Hi!   Has anyone ever traveled with a dock-a-tot? its like a lounge area / travel mattress for infants / toddlers.   I am looking to travel with my 3 month old in the next 3 weeks. Traveling to the south from Boston. I have 1 stop / connecting flight and i want to have this with me for my daughter to lay in during the lay over. just not sure if i am able to have it as a carry on. I have seen on the website and on blogs that parents travel with it - some say it can be a carry on but i would just like to make sure with south west.   posted a picture below for refference. Dimensions are 18x24 inches   thanks! Can I get one in 36" by 72"?   Southwest's guidance is 10x16x24 - https://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/baggage/carryon-bags-pol.html   ...so technically you might be a little over, but it would be difficult to say that this would be rejected at boarding time, especially if it folds up. I'd bring a bag or container if you plan to store it overhead...all those roller bags being pulled through all parts of the airport, outdoors, bathrooms, etc.   You might even procure a duffel or roller bag that is 10x16x24 that you can put it in for storage, then you would definitely be clear, plus keeping it clean in the overhead.   How long is the layover?               ... View more

@ZackEggleston wrote: Hello,   A travel agency has informed us that we are limited to one checked bag of 50 lbs or less going into Cuba, rather than Southwest's 2 50lb bag limit. According to them, Southwest will allow a 2nd bag but Cuba will charge a tax/fee for the second bag at $5 a pound upon arrival. I can't find anything online anywhere about this rule, and I find it hard to believe that a rule like this would be in place and no one would be talking or warning other travelers about it. Can anyone confirm or deny this? I haven't traveled to Cuba, but do remember something about this being mentioned before. The details are fuzzy whether at the time it was a Southwest restriction or Cuba - the mention is only for Havana and not the other destinations - click on the red exclamation point for Havana: https://www.southwest.com/html/air/airport-information.html   I don't know about the tax for the second bag though, that I haven't seen mentioned before.         ... View more

Try to have the baby nurse or drink during the ascent and descent to help equalize their ears, that could be one strategy to help on your next flight.   I hope everything went well logistically, in addition to the great service by the flight attendants.       ... View more

@mjweber wrote: Hi, I have recently changed my address. I have changed it on my credit card and with my DOT for my driver's license, but do not need to obtain a new driver's license. Do I need to change my address with Southwest for an upcoming trip in late July that was booked before the move? BTW: TSA says it is no problem for their check in, but to check with the airline.   Thanks, Marilyn You'll need to update your address in general so that you can get drink tickets! ... View more

@mattjoyce714 wrote: RSW to MDW.  June 27th, 2018. Line of preboarders went on and on. Florida routes definitely have potential for a few extra preboarding flyers, although I haven't ever been to RSW myself, I've always used TPA to reach a destination that is about halfway between the two airports.         ... View more

@chgoflyer wrote: 35 preboarders?! I fly frequently and have never seen anything like that. What cities? What's the flight number? Whoa! @mattjoyce714 did you mean 12 preboarders, and each had two companions with them? Or literally 35 wheelchairs or equivalent...   I don't want to point any particular routes out, but Orlando for instance might be a destination where people of all different mobility levels are heading for vacation, family, snowbirding.    I still don't know if I've ever seen more than about ten preboarders, although I'm not usually paying that much attention and seem to be less concerned about the issue than many others on the community. But they might have one or two (or more) people traveling with each of them that also board at the same time.     ... View more

I think in general #1 would be yes, although one exception for example is that Hilton offers free wifi to Honors members that direct book.    So something like that might not come with the room where it would if you booked directly. But then if you get wifi as a Gold or Diamond member, you'd still get it anyway by logging into your account.  Edit: feedback seems to be mixed on this one, some chains will still respect your status even while they don't add qualifying stays or points, others may not.   So if your Hyatt status level includes perks, I think those would still apply unless they say specifically only for direct booking.   Edit:  NOPE At least with the rental cars it counts both Southwest and their own loyalty - they do want you back to them whether through Southwest or not in the future - and they may add a surcharge for the Southwest points so they aren't losing money on the deal anyway to award points in both systems, I expect Hyatt would be similar.   But in a nutshell for a definitive answer, call the hotel directly and ask them about the points and perks.       ... View more

@hlm29 wrote: I  take my nieces and nephews to visit my mother in Florida every winter.  This year coming up I am considering booking with Southwest for the first time but am concerned about the boarding policy.  I can only walk very short distances without help so I always need a wheelchair in an airport.  I understand I will be preboarded but will the children be able to board with me?  They will be 4  - two 8 year olds, a 11 year old and a 14 year old at the time of travel.   Since these are not my children but nieces and nephews, I am hesitant to be seperated from them. I do not feel comfortable leavng a 14 year old in charge of getting the younger children on the plane.  Thank you for your help. That sounds like a little more than the expected amount of assistance for preboarding, I think the guidance is two people - although I have seen groups this large be preboarded at times - it seems to make sense in your situation.   Another idea, is there anyone taking you to the airport that could request a gate pass to help get everyone to the gate and boarding at the right time? then if only two could preboard, the adult could help the kids get in line and start boarding at their normal position.     ... View more

@AshleyMainz wrote: @DancingDavidE, Great tip! Do you have any photos of the harness in action? I've never seen one of these in real life.  Harness ready for a toddler to sit down Toddler in the harness ... View more