Southwest Airlines Community

I get that getting A vs. B is a huge difference! I remember the days when EB practically guaranteed an A spot, but SW doesn't advertise it that way or guarantee it. Half the benefit is not having to remember to check in right at 24 hrs out.  I can't imagine the logistical challenge of having families identify themselves at booking. What if another family member were added after original booking? What if the booked date of when all the boarding positions had been released? What if there were such a large number of A Listers and EBs that there were not many seats together for families?   These days, getting a B spot is simply something you have to consider. If EB is still worth it for you at that point, go for it. If not, remember to check in right at 24 hrs out and hope for the best.  ... View more

Short answer, no.  As one of the most valuable perks in the industry, there are strict rules around what qualifies and how to qualify. ... View more

It is also worth noting that the check in desks probably do not open 4 hours before the first flight of the day, however.  You might reach out to the airport and/or Southwest via Twitter, if you have it, to find out what they they counter opens for bag checking. ... View more

I have, and just like gift cards purchased through any other reputable store, they work fine.  I typically use the online (samsclub.com), emailed gift cards which can be purchased in larger amounts and can save a few bucks with just a couple minutes of work.  You also avoid the multiple forms of payment issue mentioned.   --TheMiddleSeat ... View more

@chgoflyer Agreed.  I hope this is something I never have to experience as a solo traveller...and def not while travelling with my family.   I echo the above: please take time to get this feedback directly to Southwest. ... View more

If only I had more vacation time!   --TheMiddleSeat ... View more

@Cable-TV-Guy wrote: Chgoflyer,   TNX for the input.  Yes, perhaps I'm a tough judge!  For 36 years, my job required me to be both an engineering and human relations perfectionist.  And, like I said, I started flying when it was pretty much a luxury for most people.  As far back as the mid-1960's, my parents and I were flying several times a year.  Men wore suits and women wore dresses.  And, yes times had to change as a result of 9/11.  But, when I attended a business meeting at the Virginia State Police Academy in Ruchmond a decade or so ago, there was a sign in the lecture hall that read, "You Can Be Tough As Nails And Courteous".   As for the Southwest part of the experience, except for the last flight, it was pretty good overall.  And yes, the FA on the second flight was specific about laptops.  And, yes I saw people using laptops on the ground.   I'm already looking at the SWA website trying to plan my next trip.  That's how satisfied I was with them.           Ok, glad to hear that you're generally pleased, despite your overall rating. Personally, I'm not sure I would be giving more business to anyone I graded a "C-/D+".    Obviously, things did change after 9/11. But many of the changes that have happened to air travel since then frankly have nothing to do with that event, and are more a result of things like economic factors.    One minor comment -- not to beat a dead horse -- but just in case it's unclear, laptops can be used on the ground. The only time they need to be stowed is during takeoff and landing. 😉   Hope your future air travels are great!   ... View more

Thank you! ... View more

@hykos wrote: Quoted price per point of fixed 78 pts per $1 is NOT correct.    Southwest uses a sliding scale. You can only estimate a value of points but it is subject to change. A general principle is that it starts at about 1/60 and goes up from there, but the more expensive flights do assess a much higher ratio of points per dollar. In this way, Southwest does well to ensure that its more discretionary customers try to pay cash for seats on full flights, but save their points to use on cheaper flights with plenty of available seating. As such, Southwest was able to rid itself of the hefty blackouts of RR1.0, and develop a compromise that allows customers to redeem rewards at any time, but to pay a premium for that flexibility.   Unfortunately, there's some incorrect info and/or a bit of misunderstanding here.   78 points per $1 is the current redemption rate.   This is the exact formula by which Southwest prices points flights. Points fares are equal to the base fare (exclusive of taxes and fees) x 78.   When Southwest first shifted to "RR 2.0" in 2011, the redemption rate was initially set at 60/$1 (for WGA fares, BS and AT had their own, higher redemption rates). Then it was increased to 70/$1 in 2014. In 2016 it was announced that the rate would be variable, and fares were offered for between 72/$1 and 80/$1. There was some brief availability of 55/$1 fares, and occasionally some other random rates. Most currently, in 2018 we learned that all fares types (WGA, BS and AT) would be offered for the same points redemption value, which is currently 78/$1. This was another devaluation of the WGA fare, but represented a better redemption ratio for BS and AT, making using points to book those fares more attractive. (Which coincides with greater occasional unavailability of WGA fares in general.)   This value is the constant that Southwest uses to calculate points fares. We use it to check if there's been any program devaluation by Southwest.   It's important to understand that this value is different from the realized value of a Rapid Rewards point.   This can be confusing to understand for some, because the realized value of a Rapid Rewards point does vary.   Points fares do not trigger the collection of taxes, so lower priced flights are a "better value" than higher priced ones when you use points. The percentage of the total cash fare represented by taxes is greater on lower priced fares, so, by using points, your "savings" (when compared to the cash fare) is greater. Which makes the realized value of those points larger. This is why bloggers will often refer to the value of a Rapid Rewards points using a range -- for example, 1.4 to 1.9 cents.   Remember though, that the formula for pricing those points fares remains -- at least until the next devaluation is implemented -- at 78/$1. 😉   To check this for yourself, just look at the base fare of any cash flight and compare it to the points price.   Cash fare: $132 Points fare: 8539 Base fare: $109.47 x 78 = 8538.66 ( rounded to 8539)     With regards to some other points you've made: It is somewhat unique to Southwest that the best redemptions are often short-haul or inexpensive flights, vs longer / higher priced ones, as is the case with most frequent flyer programs.   The original Rapid Rewards program was simply not sustainable as the carrier grew, so the "compromise" necessary to eliminate the capacity controls (which were a symptom of the program's inability to scale appropriately) was made by the introduction of the cash-based program -- with earning and redemption directly linked to the cash fare.   Since that's directly scalable, that should have fixed things for a while. But unfortunately, the rapidly ensuing and repeating devaluations indicate that that program was still more expensive than Southwest would like. And I suspect another devaluation is somewhat inevitable.             ... View more

Thanks for posting! ... View more

This has been recommended before, and yes...it would be really helpful!  If I am not mistaken, however, even SW employees don't have access to a view like that. But I could be wrong about that.   My feeling is that the ability to not lose money when you change flights is so great that SW (from a business perspective) may want to keep the responsibility of keeping up with funds on their customers. And I am not sure I blame them? Again, my opinion.  If you happen to use Concur for work travel, it keeps up with travel funds, and it is easy to apply old funds to new reservations. I love it!   I keep an email folder for all my personal travel funds, and I also not the conf numbers and amounts on my phone.  All that said, if you would like to ensure SW gets this suggestion, please use the Contact Us link below. Thanks!   ... View more

@jwallace wrote: Hi all!   This might be an item that's at the discretion of the checkin folks, but I figure I'd ask anyway.   I've got an upcoming short flight with my 14mo old.    The problem is I don't have the physical birth certificate on hand -- it's in the hands of the State Department while we're waiting on a passport for kiddo and I don't expect to see it back until a couple weeks after the flight.   I do have a fairly good photo of the birth certificate on my phone -- heck I could even print it out.   Is that apt to fly with the checkin counter folks?   Obviously, I can print out any assorted medical records as well.   Just trying to see if I can skip a stop at the local county office to buy another birth certificate. If the child will be traveling as a lap child you'll need proof of age (to show the kid is under 2) which they may accept a photo of the birth certificate, you can also use any recent medical records fell check up or immunization.   The same would apply flying on a Child Fare.   Using a Wanna Get Away fare would not need any ID although we always stashed a duplicate in the diaper bag anyway.   My suggestion would be to print out the photo of the birth certificate if you go that route to have a paper copy instead of showing it on your phone for ease of passing it around to check in desk or TSA. ... View more

Did you use your points to book a resort? if so, how was the experience? Do you know how many points on average is costs to book a resort? or does it depend on the cost of the specific resort? I know I should just call the resort booking number... ... View more

Their social media support team is awesome! ... View more

@jksobonya What extra hour? (We have two kids.) LOL. ... View more

Agreed!! Southwest is the best at decorating their gate space! Although ... as I was traveling this past week, one of the gates had Christmas lights up already :X    --Jessica ... View more

One of my rainy day goals is to make a spreadsheet of flights & go through my boarding pass history and see what my boarding positions have been over time. It would be fun to have a master list just for kicks. Just came home yesterday from a trip and was A60 and B7. Not too bad!   --Jessica ... View more

@chgoflyer I think we interpreted the OP differently! I initially read their post as saying that they booked a flight with points, and wanted to change their return flight home prior to travel, and it was a 21,000 point increase (hence paying for the difference in fare, change fee info, etc). But re-reading it, it sounds like they were trying to change it on the day of travel itself, which is a different situation. I'm not nearly as familiar with same day standby rules, so thanks for explaining it! It makes sense now why there was such a large point variation.  --Jessica ... View more

It sounds like your Rapid Rewards number may not be tied to the reservations.  If not, I bet a quick DM to the Twitter team or the app chat can get that squared away for you. Be sure to provide your conf number and the RR numbers for both you and for him.  After that, it should show up. Good luck!   ... View more

I had a flight on Tuesday where the person in 7A was using one. I was in 7C.   The FA's served drinks and snacks, and picked up trash, and must hve seen it. They didn't say anything.   So, I presume, per the caveats above, you'll be fine.  ... View more

Customer Relation Department is the worst ! There is no people skills there. All they do is i do not have record of you calling so i cant help ! Customer service and customer relation comes in place when customer have issue. Otherwise they dont have job to do !   They not only fail to add points but they fail to record when i call with notes ! fail twice and turning the table as customer will have to keep checking if southwest did the job right?   failed on customer service. Big talk and zero result.  ... View more

Nice! Enjoy @bec102896! ... View more

Indeed we have seen other examples where trying to book immediately after the schedule release only yields higher fares.  I also echo the advice to wait.   Over the past year, I have kept an eye on certain international flights, and I have seen wild swings in pricing based on whatever sales SW was running at any given moment.     I feel very confident you will see better pricing.   Good luck!   ... View more

Fortunately, it won't be a huge deal to check you both in.  I recommend check yourself in on the app while you check the other conf in on a computer at https://www.southwest.com/air/check-in/confirmation.html.   Of course, with SW, if you don't have status or Early Bird Check In, when you check in is important to get a good boarding position.  If you are ready to go at 24 hours out with both, you could reasonably hope to get similar boarding positions.   Hope that helps!   ... View more

If Southwest has any 'flaw' at all, this may be it. It's unfortunate that unauthorized access to your account resulted in points being used without your knowledge.    I've been reading several of these threads, and ironically, I received an e-mail from Southwest just a few days ago titled: "Action needed - unauthorized account access." Southwest deactivated my password due to my account potentially being accessed without my consent. The day before, a Southwest rep helped me book a flight with points - so could these actions have been related? Or was someone else trying to access my account? Unknown, but I had 2 things in my favor: my account has less than 2,000 points currently, and I don't store any payment information on Southwest.com. If someone *did* try to hack my account with the intention to steal points, I bet they were pretty disappointed 😉    But if I was in a scenario where thousands of points *were* stolen, I'd try everything possible to get them back. It would be pretty obvious to prove that the flights were not booked by me if the flights left anywhere other than PHL since PHL is my primary airport,  and I don't fly out of any other location. If they tried to redeem points for *stuff* (RR Shopping), I could make the argument that I have never once used RR Shopping (although I should probably take advantage), but that would obviously be more difficult to prove. Good luck, and I hope you get a satisfactory resolution to this if you haven't already.    --Jessica ... View more

Have you tried navigating to getconnected.southwest.com or to southwestwifi.com?   Also, have you tried on an additional browswer such as Chrome?   Is your iPad up to date? ... View more

 What do you have to say now??  Its clear sw is only concerned with its profits-greed rules this ever increasing disheartening earth we live on.  Wonder if Boeing ceos put their family on one?  ... View more

Your best bet is to make everything match exactly. Drivers license, passport, passenger name when buying the ticket, Rapid Rewards account name, trusted traveler name (TSA PreCheck or Global Entry).   If they setup a Rapid Rewards account (recommended) they'll earn points and be able to access their account info online and via the app. ... View more