Southwest Airlines Community

@mzhibbs wrote: Thanks! I "phoned a friend" on this one and there is a new third-party service there, they won't be Southwest staff but there is a new option, they open 4 a.m. but take luggage for all airlines.         ... View more

There is nothing to stop you from buying $5,000 or $10,000 worth of gift cards except maybe your ability to pay the CC bill. ... View more

Search your email inbox, spam, and clutter folders for the phrase "You're Going to" or in your case you can also search for the city name in case that pops up - that won't work depending how much you fly, but if not very often then it could work.     ... View more

Thanks to the replies. I found an email for the airline and they promptly sent me my details and got my set uop. Thank you for your help! ... View more

My suggestion is to contact Southwest and name the flight and departure location.  Then, ask for a partial refund of the flight.   The family boarding was so out of control at MCO that many voiced their concerns - now the rules are followed.   Get a refund. ... View more

LUV it! Thanks for sharing these beautiful views! ... View more

@kencarl04 wrote: Hello. We will have a flight this June. From OMA to MO then 40 minutes layover then MO to FL. Will that be enough time, which is 40 minutes layover to look for our boarding gate for our next flight? Do we need to get our luggage and check in again?  MO being St. Louis? The concourse is fairly straightforward with all the gates in a row so you shouldn't have to go a long ways or take any long route to the departure gate.   It's enough time to make a connection, you can verify at OMA that your luggage will be tagged through to your final destination in Florida. You won't have to go back through security.   40 minutes is on the shorter end of connections though, so you'll want to head straight for the departure gate with minimal stops.   Do you have any boarding constraints - Business Select, preboarding, A-list, family boarding, etc? These would be the only issues that you may get to the gate and boarding could have started.         ... View more

Thank you! ... View more

Typically, points earned through hotel stays don't count towards the Companion Pass, but there might be some promotions or exceptions. If you're aiming to rack up points quickly, why not mix it up a bit? Consider exploring different avenues for earning points. Maybe look into credit card sign-up bonuses or airline promotions. And hey, if you're planning any trips soon, why not head over to Thailand? Check out this link for some inspiration: https://thaitriplover.com/nightlife-entertainment. I've heard the nightlife and entertainment there are absolutely incredible! ... View more

@travelmum42 wrote: I see I wasn’t clear/provide all the details. I will counter check one car seat (oldest), luggage, and lotus crib. I want to gate check the stroller and one car seat (baby). It just breaks down into 3 pieces. Then we would have three carry ons as well. I’m not worried about the counter checked or the carry ons as we are within limits. It’s just if the stroller becoming three pieces is a problem.  Definitely clear if the lotus crib gets counter checked as a luggage item. Then your luggage totals four pieces. Then you would still have three remaining baby gear items after checking the toddler car seat.   No one will worry about it when they see you with three items and two kids at the gate.    If you did have four luggage items, the crib and the toddler car seat, and then also the three pieces of baby stroller and car seat you'd have to explain that the two items together are one stroller, and that each kid is allowed a stroller and a car seat.   I think you'll be fine.   Remember to go to the gate counter and get a gate checking slip for each bag before boarding time is scheduled so you are ready to line up and drop that item in the jet bridge.   Last thought in a worst case - if the uppa bags are small, you can put both pieces of the stroller inside of a Southwest blue bag safely packed inside of their own uppa containers.  Southwest Stroller Bag (swathestore.com)           ... View more

@bballflyer wrote: I would add that having pre-boarders also have to wait to get off the plane until last would curb those that take advantage of the rules and policies.  If they need special assistance to board then it makes sense to me to wait until everyone is off to get that same special assistance to de-board off.  I have seen this at other airlines and it seems fair. They don't all need assistance to board, some need a specific seat.   But I see what you are saying, when traveling with my mom we will wait until it is confirmed that there is a pusher there with a wheelchair.    But that goes both ways, with the wheelchair crew there in the way the preboarders that are using them should go. If there isn't one ready, then wait.     ... View more

Thank you so much for this information! I believe her car seat is FAA approved but I will double check the next time we go out. Since her dad will be with us I don’t think I have to worry about not being able to put both arm rests up but will still most likely put her by the window since that seems to be easiest.  ... View more

@med02 wrote: But is it fair to deny me the ability to check-in online and print boarding passes? Especially with Southwest because we won't get a favorable boarding position.  You probably shouold let th firm that booked tge flight know how you feel - and remember how they treated you the next time you have a trip. ... View more

Very good point. All things will be abused but SWA should at least try to curb it. They don't.  ... View more

I choose to use Early Bird because I do not always have the opportunity to "check in" 24 hours prior to a flight. But yes, Early Bird is no longer an effective means of guaranteeing a proper seat.   The biggest problem is that people will pay for one early bird seat and then "hold" seats for the rest of their party. It's ridiculous.   I now go out of my way to challenge people. If somebody is attempting to hold three seats I will tell them that I am sitting there. That person has paid for a single seat and obviously does not have to move. But I'll be darned if they are going to prevent me from sitting there.   If you want to hold a row of seats then go to the back of the plane. Otherwise, I'll be sitting next to you. The flight attendants know the ruse. They know what's going on and they choose to ignore it  and/or be complicent it this ruse. That's unacceptable. Stand your ground I say.    I will not try to break up families or anything like that, but again, you are more than welcome to grab a row in the back of the plane to ensure that you sit together.    I have contacted SWA several times regarding this matter and they consistently fail to remedy the situation. They typically sent out a reply indicating that people enjoy the open seating policy. This response ignores the situation.   I used to really enjoy flying SWA. The employees were friendly. The flights were on time. The experience was good. Things have really taken a 180 degree turn. I am at the point where I am going to cancel my SWA card, burn up all my points, and fly with a different carrier. ... View more

@5280Av8r wrote: Southwest dropped Mexico City because Southwest limits bookings to their website only and doesn't allow third party sales and was not able to accept foreign currency as payment. That said, looking at Mexico City, most of the demand originates in Mexico City going to the US. That immediately gives the local airlines such as Aeromexico and Volaris an advantage. Second, it meant that most customers were wanting to pay with Pesos rather than US dollars and SWA isn't set up for that. Contrast that with Cancun, Cabo, and Puerto Vallarta where most demand is vacation goers from the US to Mexico paying with US dollars. So, the only way for SWA to add Mexico City back is if the demand shifts to people originating in the US or if their system is developed to accept foreign currencies such as the Peso. Some constraint there as well due to capacity, limiting it to Houston as a gateway is a disadvantage to other carriers with wider service especially since it is a lot more business flights than leisure.       ... View more

@Ezriah wrote: I was wondering, is it possible for a deaf person who cannot hear or speak to be a flight attendant? if a deaf person is actually becoming a flight attendant, I am sure they can find the way to able to communicate. Is this theoretical or do you know someone?   Definitely going to be some challenges. Especially on the single-aisle aircraft there isn't really a FA duty that doesn't require frequent verbal communication.   If this is serious the candidate may need to look at airlines with larger aircraft there could be a role, or else other positions at an airline if their goal is to work in aviation.       ... View more

I'm biased toward DEN because I grew up there, but the new renovations are looking nice!   Anyway, I currently have a mission to fly to or connect through SWA's largest airports, so far my favorites apart from DEN are DAL and BNA. I wasn't a fan of HOU when I went through there this past Christmas, but maybe that's because I was in the international gates area and felt far removed from the happenings of the airport. I have yet to try out AUS, BWI, LAS, FLL, MCI, MCO, OAK, SJC, SMF, STL, TPA - clearly I have a long ways to go. Not to mention, it's been awhile since I've been to both LAX and SAN.  ... View more

@bec102896 wrote: If there are certain routes that only have a non stop one or 2 days a week I find them to be Saturday or Sunday so first search a random weekday (say Wednesday) if you don’t see a non stop search Saturday/Sunday then if you see a non stop then you will know usually the only non stop for that route is day specific for the schedule then you can just search flights on that particular day of the week. I know it’s a little extra work but once you see the trend of a schedule you can usually figure out what days a certain flight operates during that schedule.  You can also ask here and I’m sure some folks on here can help with telling you if a non stop from A to B exists.  That's a good method @bec102896 unfortunately the online tool can't be limited by day of the week or season (MDW to PNS for instance only during warmer weather but I fly the route only in January). ... View more

  Here it is again!  I just installed a new WiFi network at home - I tried to select it to connect to it - and here is SouthwestWifi jumping up to take the password from the WiFi I’m trying to connect to (I never tapped on to connect to SouthwestWifi - SouthwestWifi is not even an option of a network to connect to from Wi-Fi’s available - it simply buts in and steals password entry.  ... View more

Wow...Where do I begin?   First, I echo what everybody else mentioned. Agree 100%. SW's unique business model makes it stand out from the competition.     One of my personal hobbies involves me taking day trips to various places and letting somebody take me there: Go in early in the morning, relax for the ride up, spend the day there, and come back in the late afternoon or evening. In the picture above, I'm boarding a local regional train bound to downtown Los Angeles. For the longest time, I've always loved taking train and bus rides aboard SoCal's local regional rail system, the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner, and numerous regional and inter-city bus routes. SoCalFlyer97 not only likes to go to places; he tries to make most of the journey to/from too!   Yes, driving is would have been much quicker than taking buses and trains but I would then miss out in the opportunities gifted to me during the journey to/from while I battled hectic and congested freeways.     Back in 2021, my job required me to make periodic business trips to my company's production plant in Tijuana Mexico; thus I got Global Entry so I can cross back into the USA quickly via the SENTRI pedestrian lane. With short waits at the border coming home, that meant I could do day trips down south and not have to spend the night in Mexico during my daylong business trips there.     Global Entry also includes TSA PreCheck, and I wanted to see if I could take advantage of any new day-trip opportunities with this benefit via the airline industry.     The following year, when I found out that Southwest offered multiple hour-long departures daily from SoCal to destinations in Northern California, Vegas and Phoenix from early morning 'til late night, I learned there was a possibility to complete day trips to these destinations both for work and pleasure via the LUV airline for affordable rates that I could not find anywhere else:           Combine that with having Global Entry to get through TSA quickly and with plentiful public transit options to feed me from a suburban park & ride lot into my primary airport at SAN (or decent 24-hour parking rates at my convenience airport at ONT), I saw new opportunities thanks to Southwest for both work and play.     I would have to say that my short-haul day trips that I post throughout this forum would not be possible on any other carrier. ... View more

@DancingDavidE wrote: @Niki_G wrote: I'm looking to fly out of either Buffalo or Rochester. I did check the low fare calendar. And, it just had an X over July 5th. I even checked flying out of Cleveland, but dame thing. Unfortunately, I may have to give up my discount and use another airline as I don't have the money to extend my vacation another day. Thanks! There must be a scaled back schedule on the 4th and 5th to/from PUJ, probably the planes are needed on domestic routes for holiday travel.   How's PIT for you?     These are the non-stops from PUJ, so you'd be connecting in one of these.   You could also try booking one-way to PUJ, and then "multi-city" on the return way back to get from PUJ through one of these cities, to BUF or ROC. There could be some combinations that open up that aren't on the pre-packaged list of destinations from PUJ.   Also if it was acceptable you might overnight on a multi-city route coming home in BWI for instance instead of staying in PUJ for an extra day, and get back earlier to BUF/ROC.   The graphic below is selecting PUJ as the origin and then checking non-stops to see which cities are directly connected with PUJ. This will show ROC/BUF as options for connections which don't work for you since this map is for all days, not date specific to the fifth which doesn't have service for some reason. *All of these non-stops might not be available on your date either, but there must be at least one open to get you to PIT, hopefully something convenient to BUF or ROC pops up.       ... View more

Sorry your flight was late   2 hours is nothing these days. My last 2 trips have both been 3* hours late but stuff happens things break. I’d rather it break before take off even if that means I’m stuck on the plane instead of having to deal with an emergency landing.  you can always send an email to southwest and maybe they can send you a voucher for the inconvenience.  ... View more

@dfwskier wrote: Next time after checking in, you can save a pic of your boarding pass to your Gallery and then access it to show your FA. Unfortunately if it’s international it will have a grey box that says not eligible for mobile boarding pass also does the same thing with other types of tickets like a COS extra seat for those who prepay they can’t access the drink coupons.  ... View more

@Waco523 wrote: I would like some help understanding the boarding process, and what to do when Southwest violates their own policy.   Case Scenario: Saturday 9 March 2024, Flight 2025 LGB-BNA, 737-700 143 seats. Departing Long Beach, non-stop to Nashville on an almost full flight, a large group (a school orchestra of about 50-60) was boarded immediately after Business Select - before the remainder of A and any of B group.  I'm not sure if they all had a boarding group assigned, but several accompanying parents had C-Group on their passes.  For additional context, it appeared that all of A & B group were full.  The Gate Agent announced that they would be boarding them early, but they would board the back of the plane (a standard practice at LGB) and seating them in the back.  Although, this still violates the boarding policy, I chose to be considerate and hopeful that seating would still work itself out...it did not.   The flight crew and gate agents were not coordinated, and no one managed this large boarding group.  I was able to board with family boarding (w/ my young son), but the rest of my family (3) were the last people to board - all with B35-37 boarding passes.   When I walked down the aisle, that large group had not boarded solely via the back door, but also the front; and they were not filling every seat back-to-front, rather they were fairly scattered throughout the plane ('mostly' toward the back).     What were/are my courses of action?     If I have to pay an additional fee to improve my boarding status, should I request a refund in equal amount for Southwest effectively downgrading my boarding status?   Anyone else experience such a thing? I have experienced this, it does usually go smoothly as the chaperones want the kids all together, and in light of the A-list and BS fare, etc. Southwest does want to prioritize those.   However I have also observed at BUR where there was front and rear simultaneous boarding that it is a melee, and people could get a better spot if they went to the back while the pre-boarders were still coming up the front entry with the ramp.   Unfortunately the combination of those two scenarios caused an issue this time.   I'd say this isn't the end of the world but feel free to reach out using the Contact Southwest Customer Service methods and you may be able to get a voucher.    As far as violating the rules, there is going to be some fine print about "follow the instructions of the staff" which will allow them to deviate when it is judged to be necessary. you may get a voucher after the fact.    This group boarding of young people on sports teams or school groups does happen occasionally, and probably especially right now during spring break time.   ... View more

@skeeterks wrote: I booked a flight for some non-members for our trip and they have flight credits.  If I book another flight with the same non-members, how can I apply all the flight credits for each of us on the same reservation or do I need to reserve for everyone individually? You'll be able to use three forms of payment per online booking - how many others were there?   Also you can consider booking one-way tickets instead of round-trip to "increase" the number of methods of payment if you need to combine cash and travel credit.    In that case it might be pairs of two on the booking to use cash plus travel credit pax A and travel credit pax B.             ... View more

We have been through about five of these! Southwest Stroller Bag (swathestore.com)   They usually have them at the counter though, you don't have to buy them online.   I don't mean to say they aren't durable - they are definitely getting a workout.    Now we are only bringing the booster seats so on the tail end of it. No more strollers.     ... View more

Replying for the update. ... View more

@BearInThere wrote: I fly Southwest weekly and typically purchase an additional seat to be more comfortable. I’m a big guy and the seats have only gotten smaller. I don’t pre-board(it’s not on my boarding pass) and I don’t need a seatbelt extender.  I typically sit in the exit row and haven’t had a problem until this week. I was told I can’t sit in the exit row and forced to move even though I meet all of the criteria to sit in the exit row.  Can anyone provide clarification on this policy and point me in the direction of some documentation that prohibits me from sitting in the exit row?    Thanks!  The terms of the Customer of Size offer includes preboarding, there could be some mix-up here.   I'm not sure why it would or wouldn't print on your pass. That's an interesting wrinkle of course that you are obviously getting A-list status by flying weekly so you don't need preboarding to guarantee finding a spot with two seats.   I'm thinking as opposed to someone walking up and buying COS tickets that would have regular boarding position in the B or C groups and potentially not find two spots together.   I'd pursue the angle of whether the COS implies preboarding or not. Preboarding passengers are also not allowed to sit in the exit row regardless of disability.   Personally I'm a big but not too big guy and the empty middle seat tends to take care of itself.   Also make sure if the FA is there to help direct traffic move over and sit in the middle seat yourself while they stand in the aisle, then they'll hold the aisle for you at the same time it isn't possible for anyone to take the middle until the very end.   Or if you are taking the window encourage anyone who wants that aisle to take the middle temporarily while the FA is there.       ... View more