Southwest Airlines Community

@txusgrl wrote: To:  The MiddleSeat   I agree that it is generally useless to argue with community members.  My intention was to simply post my view on SWA policies during this pandemic, nothing more, until others took up the gauntlet.  I’ve already contacted SWA customer service to no avail.  Thank you for your concern.  The end.   If think that when one posts online their view on something -- anything -- they should absolutely expect others to reply with their views as well. Whether those are in agreement, or a difference of opinion, or a correction of factual error. Yes, online communication seems to amplify polarized debate, but I've found that approaching any online community as a source of potential information can be incredibly helpful.   Unfortunately it's too late for the much-discussed funds extension work-around to help you now. But, there is a way to recover lost travel funds that many customers aren't aware of, that is often detailed here for those in situations where it may help. It's a shame that you've decided to say goodbye. ... View more

I got the secure message today, just coming here to post about it! 😉   This is a huge, very welcome account enhancement from Chase. Tracking the Upgraded Boardings especially for me. Many requests here for something like this -- good job Chase!     ... View more

@txusgrl wrote: To:  chgoflyer   I mean, really......they never emailed or contacted me with their changing policies.  I don’t know about you but it is probably not a common practice among consumers to constantly check a website to see if their policies have been updated after a product has been purchased.  Just sayin......   Are you not a Rapid Rewards member? Or not signed up to receive emails from Southwest?   I received multiple emails regarding the policies, which as you say were changing frequently in the early months of the pandemic.   I know that if I had a large sum of money (or, any sum, really) tied up with a particular company, I'd definitely want to keep on top of their policies when everything was changing daily due to the corona virus.   Which is what I did. With Southwest, Hilton, Ticketmaster, multiple concert venues, etc.   That's just looking out for yourself.     ... View more

I mean, really... it was not that hard to read the information Southwest emailed & posted, and realize that you could just use your funds for a flight and then cancel it, which extended your funds good through September 7, 2022.         ... View more

I'm not sure I'm fully understanding your situation, but if you had a Luv Voucher that has already been extended once it's unlikely Southwest would make any other sort of accommodation (after the at least two they've already made -- reissuing your expired Travel Funds as a voucher and then extending that voucher once it expired).   Sorry. ... View more

So... your voucher has already been reissued (extended)? ... View more

@SWFlyer007 wrote: @slivingh I agree with @dfwskier  You know for $600, If it were me, I'd maybe even throw in a, "What if I paid $100 for an extension?"  You never know.  Pay another $100 to save $600 sounds like a win to me.     With regards to this, Southwest's "unpublished policy" is as follows:   Once your travel funds are expired, you have 6 months in which to request that they be reissued as a voucher. If granted, that voucher will be good for 6 months from the date of issue.   Vouchers are good for use by anyone, not just the named passenger(s) as with travel funds, but are only good for the airfare portion of travel, not any taxes or fees.   Currently, the fee for this exception is $100 per fund/passengers, which is deducted from the travel funds' balance. If you have multiple travel funds, consider using them towards a new flight and then cancelling that flight, to effectively combine them into one fund, so that you'll only pay one fee. If there are multiple passengers on the fund you'll pay the $100 fee for each passenger.   This is a non-published policy, so everything about it can change without notice, including the fee, which has risen from $50 to $75 and now $100 over the past few years.   To make the request reach out to Customer Relations after your funds have expired.   Contact Customer Relations  ... View more

@bamacass wrote: @chgoflyer  Yes, I now see that in some of the communications, but the December 15 date was not mentioned in an August 11 email that I received from Southwest regarding a change to my flight schedule.  I thought maybe I had missed something when I read, "You had until September 7", but see that was regarding requesting the expiration date extension.  In any event, my funds did not qualify for either option. I checked back in August and have continued to check every month since.   Just to be clear: Funds extension was only ever offered to those who had travel funds set to expire March 1 thru September 7, 2020 (or flights canceled during those dates.) Those funds were extended to September 7, 2022.   When this was announced, many customers noticed that since the accommodation included flights canceled during that period, they could use any funds that didn't meet the criteria to purchase, and then cancel, a new flight, which would then extend their funds.   Unfortunately, since this was essentially a work-around, customer service wasn't able to officially do this or in any way extend any non-qualified funds, so calling was no help. Customers who hadn't figured out the work-around from the email and website information posted by Southwest may have learned of it here or in other forums online.   Right now, Southwest hasn't indicated that they will offer another accommodation period, but it's worth checking back here in case they do.     ... View more

@bamacass wrote: *Update*  Southwest has extended the date to December 15, 2020, to convert your qualified travel funds to points. To qualify, your travel fund must expire on September 7, 2022. My travel funds do not meet those criteria so are still not eligible and will expire on November 7.     I also saw on Facebook that people are getting refunds for travel planned after December 1 if they are not comfortable with the elimination of the 'open middle seat' policy.    Southwest's refusal to either refund, extend the expiration date, or convert the travel funds to points for travel other than their arbitrarily defined dates makes no sense!           FYI, that's not an update or a change, December 15th was always the expiration date for funds conversion. ... View more

As noted above by @TheMiddleSeat , yes they do.   Here's a great reference Southwest publishes, that becomes increasingly handy as we approach the end of each year.   2020 Rapid Rewards® Qualifying Transactions for 2021 Status ... View more

@Rolo wrote: In my case, I could indeed pay with the Southwest/Chase credit card to which I applied during the ticket purchase process. However, so far, I have not received such a $200 credit and the balance shown in my Chase account is the total cost of the purchase.   As I said in the post directly above yours, as well as in the new thread you opened on this topic, the credit will appear on your 1st statement.   If you have any questions, reach out to Chase. ... View more

@jschreiber69 wrote: More Rewards is a program exclusively for Rapid Rewards® Credit Cardmembers to redeem Rapid Rewards Points for items other than Southwest travel. Cardmembers can use their points for merchandise, international flights on global carriers, hotel stays, rental cars, gift cards, and exclusive Cardmember experiences.    Notice the word exclusively.  Just because a company can change their terms, doesn't mean it is right for them to do !!!  To de-value your points by 50% is ridiculous and not ethical for a company that tries to pride itself on values and the Southwest Way.  YES, these are without a doubt UNETHICAL CHANGES !!  This is not a timeshare company where you can expect behavior like this.   We How We Treat Each Other Teamwork Practice civility Embrace Team over self Be inclusive Honesty Speak up Be transparent Tell the truth Service with LUV Practice Hospitality Live by The Golden Rule Don’t be rude     http://investors.southwest.com/our-company/purpose-vision-and-the-southwest-way   Would you prefer they stop allowing redemptions for anything other than flights? That's how it used to be for most of the life of the Rapid Rewards program. They could absolutely do that tomorrow if they choose. If so, I suspect Chase might be willing to refund your annual fee (or a prorated portion) but even that would be an accommodation, not a requirement. And Southwest would likely do nothing.   Again, I think your perception of what a loyalty program owes you is not aligned with reality. If you think this change is unethical, I can't imagine what you think of what American has done to their program over the past couple of years. You mention time-share companies as an example, maybe you're not aware but all major airlines are devaluing their loyalty programs year-over-year -- they're not increasing the value. In general, management would prefer these programs never existed in the first place. But because of their history and competitive market conditions, they continue to offer them, while decreasing their cost to the company (and usually the value to the traveler).   Remember, you're always welcome to vote with your wallet.   (Not sure why you think the word "exclusively" has any meaning here. As we've noted, More Rewards is offered by a 3rd party that also offers loyalty program redemptions to a huge number of different businesses. "Exclusively" just means that you have to be a RR member to redeem your RR points.)     ... View more

I think you may be confused. You're not buying a gift card. What you're doing is redeeming your loyalty program points. The terms of which are completely up to the discretion of the loyalty program owner (and in this case the 3rd party licensed to provide additional redemption options).   The terms and conditions of every loyalty program in the world make it clear that the exchange value of those points (or miles, or stars, or whatever they want to call them) can change at any given time, including variable changes based on the redemption method (whether for flights or merchandise or hotel stays... or gift cards).   In fact, Southwest has reduced the value of their Rapid Rewards points multiple times over the years. And will very likely do so again.   Southwest and/or More Rewards owe you nothing when it comes to the fixed value of a point. Just because it was a certain exchange rate some time ago does not mean you're guaranteed that rate at any point in the future.   In fact, the terms and conditions state plainly that points have no cash value.   Sorry.             ... View more

So much confusion! Southwest is trying to do a good thing, but system limitations create some unwelcome situations.   If you're A-List and have booked a multi-passenger reservation, you and those passenger(s) will be checked in at t-36 and should receive close, if not sequential, boarding positions. There are some situations that trigger exceptions, as listed under the program terms & conditions. If all passengers don't receive sequential boarding positions, they may still be able to board with the A-List member, but will likely be asked to board in their individual assigned positions, or alternately offered boarding after A-60, at the discretion of the gate agent.   If you're A-List and also hold a Companion Pass and have added the Companion to your reservation, your Companion will not be checked in at t-36 and will not receive the A-List boarding perk. (This is because a Companion currently receives their own confirmation number, and for the system to provide the perk, all members must be on the same itinerary and share the same confirmation number.) Southwest has suggested that this may be updated at some point to allow Companions the same accommodation as non-Companions traveling with an A-Lister.   If you're A-List and have booked a multi-passenger reservation with another passenger(s) who is also A-List, currently the system seems to strip the status from one or more of the A-Listers on the itinerary. In this case it's best for each A-List traveler to book their own itinerary separately from others with status. If booked at or near the same time those passengers should receive similar boarding positions. If they wish to board together they are asked to board at the highest numerical position, or after A-60 if given a B or higher position.   Hope this helps! ... View more

@lily17914 wrote: Have anyone tried to book a flight after Sept 7th 2020 and cancel it after 25hrs. See if SW might be kind enough to leave some backdoor surprise to extend the travel funds expiration without officially announcing it?   Unfortunately that doesn't work. 😞   An update to my earlier posts: If you're one of those who cancelled during the accommodation period (March 1-September 7, 2020) but then rebooked the same day (prior to your funds actually being extended by the system, which took at least overnight), you can reach out to Customer Relations and they will make a special accommodation for you (if your funds are now showing their original expiration date).   Be aware however, that sadly this will not help if you simply rebooked your flights. It only applies if you actually cancelled them prior to rebooking.    Yes, this is a somewhat arbitrary (and arguably unfair) distinction. But that's how it is.   Contact Customer Relations  ... View more

The big red banner and copy show up on the app, the banner on the desktop is less obvious and much easier to miss. 😉 ... View more

@dfwskier wrote: @Mark56 wrote: I am totally shocked by the response of SWA employees's. The gentlemen was cleary following SWA policy, The crew did not like his politacal choice so they moved on it. At the least the crew should be repremanded and client reimbursed for flight, lost meetings... Incredible What is truly incredible is that people like you, who have no first hand knowledge of what happened in the minutes before the video started show up and bellow. SW told you what happened.   The passenger refused requests from multiple   employees to wear a mask.  Do that on any airline and the result is the same: you get booted from the flight.     Get off your fake soapbox and get a life.      This situation was literally tailor made to trigger a certain segment of the population. It's distressing to see so many buy it -- hook, line and sinker.   But I suppose that shouldn't be surprising anymore. 😞 ... View more

I completely disagree. To me, this confirms that Southwest takes mask-wearing seriously and will enforce their policies on board. Even when faced with a grandstanding individual who refuses to comply, and who blatantly ignores crew direction in an apparent attempt at creating controversy, most likely to promote a personal or political agenda. I think Southwest handled the situation the best they could, and this gives me confidence in continuing to fly them.         ... View more

I keep seeing people mention the CARES act without, apparently, a full of understanding of what it actually is or how it actually works.   Yes, Southwest received about $3 billion in government assistance, but all of that money went towards paying employees salaries. It's essentially a form of unemployment assistance, but with the payments going to keep the employees of a vital service (air transportation) working, instead of paying them for not working (while they're on unemployment). Plus Southwest will have to pay back about one third of that $3 billion. It's no more of a "handout" than is unemployment programs.   Airlines receive government assistance in times of crisis because they are a vital part of the transportation infrastructure. If the government allowed these companies to go out of business, the US would face significant difficulties across many industries.          ... View more

@wjcomment wrote: Replying to chgoflyer:   Thanks for your reply. I've been flying Southwest for 30 years, some years often enough to qualify for A-List, and I have been particularly disappointed in their take-the-customers'-money-and-run response to the pandemic. Within the U.S., the fatality rate for those with COVID-19 has averaged 4%, or 1 in 25. Southwest is insisting that I either gamble with my life by flying during a deadly pandemic, or else they will just keep my money. I haven't even been seeking a refund, though that would be nice. Someone at Southwest decided, during a deadly global pandemic, to keep their customers' money and provide nothing of value in return. It is solely their decision to force the travel funds to expire instead of offering to provide the paid-for service at a future date once it is safe to travel. I imagine that it looks good in the ledger when their revenue is tight, but they have revealed a genuine level of contempt for their customers.   You are correct that I was unaware that some people had figured out a way to game the system for a few months during the summer to get extensions. I wasn't following the forums then as I was looking for answers and support directly from Southwest.       I understand your position, I really do.   I would have to say, however, that Southwest has made far more accommodations for their customers in light of the pandemic than any other carrier. And taking advantage of them just required the customer read carefully the information that was emailed and published on the website.   The window for funds extension was over 6 months -- from March 1 thru September 7, 2020, and the resulting extension created funds good through September 7, 2022 -- over two additional years. If needed, those funds can even be converted to Rapid Rewards points, which never expire.   You mention Southwest's desire to have a "good looking ledger... when revenue is tight." In case you're not aware, Southwest is currently losing $17 million dollars every day, just keeping their operations afloat. Certainly Southwest does realize income through breakage, but consider that this is also a very unique and grave situation, as the company tires to keep it's employees employed, and frankly, it's business from going under. I don't think they're showing contempt for their customers -- the accommodations clearly indicate otherwise -- but rather demonstrating focus on maintaining solvency.   None of this helps you now of course, sorry.   I am disappointed that Southwest isn't extending further accommodations for customers such as yourself. The pandemic is far from over, and simply pretending that it is, as they seem to be doing, doesn't change that fact.   While unlikely, it's possible that Southwest may extend additional accommodations at some point. I'd recommend checking back here frequently, along with making sure you're receiving emails from Southwest (log in and look under My Account > Profile > Communications to check your preferences and email subscriptions).   Your other option would be to contact Customer Relations after your funds have expired and request reissue as a voucher. You have 6 months from expiration in which to make the request, and if granted the voucher will be valid (for use by anyone) for 6 months from the date of issue. The fee for this is (currently) $100 per passenger, which is deducted from the travel fund. If you have multiple travel funds, consider combining them to reduce the overall fees. This unwritten "policy" I think shows that Southwest is willing to go the extra mile whenever they can.         ... View more

@songhyokyi1979 wrote: Long story short: SWA customer service let me know today that it is their common business practice to make flight changes “for various reasons” and “scheduled changes” even though the confirmed flight is still there. That’s BS.  I had a confirmed round trip flight booked weeks ago. About a month before my upcoming flight I received a notification of a flight change from a 4pm return flight with one stop to 7pm direct flight. OK I’m getting home about the same time, fine. Then about a week later, my return flight changed again from 7pm to 8pm. So I called to ask why there are so many changes.  Essentially I was told that these kinds of changes happen all the time that it is “common”. I told her my job required me to fly regularly (15-20 times a year) for about 4 years and this never happened to me before with other airlines like AA, UA, Delta. I couldn’t have been that lucky. I have experienced overbooked flights and at the gate the airline asks for volunteers and compensates people for the hassle and flight change. In this case I’m being forced to change flights weeks before the flight without any compensation. The only options available were to cancel my trip for a refund, or change it to another flight which was either later in the evening or a morning flight, or a different day. She was “happy to cancel my flight and offer a refund”. That’s BS customer service.  I asked what happened to the flight I was previously “confirmed” and was told that it is “no longer available” because of a “schedule change”. She said the “flight is no longer available”. I asked her to look up that flight and she confirm that flight still existed and was still scheduled to fly at 7pm. The only change is that I was FORCED off that flight, that SWA decided it was OK to move me and keep others on the flight. It’s certainly not weather related because we are weeks away from the flight.  The only explanation I can think of is that SWA overbooked the flight and is forcing changes in advance to avoid compensating customers for the forced changes or, they’re selling more tickets at a higher price and letting those customers to stay on the flight and moving me instead. What else could it be? Regardless what the reason is, this is not right after being given a confirmed flight. Saying all flights are “subject to schedule changes” is very bad customer service and a great way to lose customers. The only other option I was offered is to escalate the matter to customer relations, which I plan to do when they reopen tomorrow.  If SWA truly moves people from one flight to another whenever they want without any compensation, I would much rather pay a little more for a confirmed seat and flight with another airline, and be fairly compensated if forced to change flights which is the standard practice of other airlines. The constant flight changes and no promises to keep customers on their confirmed flight is not worth the trouble.  Can anyone provide any insight into this experience?   Is it really SWA’s common practice to move their customers off confirmed flights without any compensation?   Has this happened to you on other airlines too?      Southwest recently cancelled something like 40% of it's schedule because of demand decline due to covid-19. While schedule changes do happen all the time, this is an unusual situation caused by the pandemic, requiring a more significant reduction in available flights & seats.   If they move you to another flight, you have the option of requesting any other itinerary if there are better flight options for you. Or you can request a full refund. This is granted by the Contract of Carriage, the legal contract that you agree to when you book the flight. This is standard on all carriers -- just because you have a seat assignment on another carrier does not mean that they are unable to do exactly as Southwest has, and provide exactly the same accommodation.   I'm not sure what might have happened for you to be moved off a flight that is still scheduled, but it could be something like a plane swap from a larger 175 seat plane to a smaller 143 seat one. In addition, Southwest may have originally sold a full plane's worth of seats, but now is only flying with 2/3rds of the seats available, as they block the middle aisle to accommodate social distancing.   If they are unable to move you back to the original flight, there's not much else you can do except keep checking back to see if a seat is available.   Hope this info helps. ... View more

@COTraveler wrote: @chgoflyer I have exchanged information with you in a different post about my substantial amount in funds which are due to expire on 10/17/20. I kept re-booking for 3 passengers and did not cancel before 9/7. You have mentioned the voucher in a different post. I have not gotten anywhere with CR so far so the voucher may be my last option. Is my understanding correct that the voucher can be requested up to 6 months after the exp date, so in my case that'll be 4/17/21. Since the voucher is issued for only 6 months validity, would be best for me to ask for it in April 2021? assuming that COVID-related travel challenges will remain into the first half of next year. Thoughts? Thanks in advance.       Yes, that's the current "policy." This is all unwritten -- technically, it's a special accommodation Customer Relations provides on a "case-by-case" basis, and it can change at any time. But I've never heard of them denying the voucher request. The fee has changed over the years, from $50 to $75 to (currently) $100 per passenger, so I suppose it's possible that it may go up again... but I'd be surprised if it did. And yes, it's 6 months for the request and the voucher will be good for 6 months from issue, so you should time it to work to your advantage (although I wouldn't wait until the last day or anything like that).   Keep check back here, because if anything changes about the policy I'm sure we'll be discussing it.   There's a small chance that Southwest will open up another period for funds extension... but I think that seems less likely with each passing day. They're really trying to get back to (or more accurately pretending that) things are "normal."   Hope this helps. Good luck! ... View more

This is fantastic news. This study reinforces what we already knew, which is that masks are necessary to prevent the spread of the virus on board a plane. Most especially, the study highlighted the importance of everyone, including the potentially infected person, wearing a mask continuously throughout the flight. As we know, unfortunately this remains problematic for a few reasons. Some flyers continue to be non-compliant with mask wearing. And airlines do allow the removal of a mask while eating or drinking. The study also did not test for an infected person moving throughout the cabin, as when using the restroom for example. However, the main takeaway is that if we all remain masked our exposure risk in total is very low.   Actual travel inside the plane is only a small part of a travel experience, and risks remain in other areas. But hopefully this will assuage concerns of those fearful about traveling on board a plane.   And as noted above, for the industry to truly recover, we'll have to have available destinations that are not under quarantine or otherwise blocked. Unfortunately, numbers are still rising in many areas, so it may still be a while before that happens.         ... View more

@dfwskier wrote: @TheMiddleSeat wrote: It's not TSA's duty or responsibility to enforce any law besides what can and cannot be brought onto a plane.    --TheMiddleSeat I expect the exception to that rule is weed or other drugs..   Actually, not really.   Agents are supposed to report violations to law enforcement if they happen to come across drugs while conducting their normal searches, but TSA has stated that they are not specifically looking for such contraband. Generally, personal use amounts of cannabis are usually overlooked or ignored.   TSA’s screening procedures are focused on security and are designed to detect potential threats to aviation and passengers. Accordingly, TSA security officers do not search for marijuana or other illegal drugs, but if any illegal substance is discovered during security screening, TSA will refer the matter to a law enforcement officer. ... View more

I would have said that something like this would never happen.   This is further indication that so many things will be very different post-COVID.   I also think it's a positive sign that Southwest will do whatever it takes to survive. ... View more