Southwest Airlines Community

Southwest limits carryon bag dimensions to 10 x 16 x 24 inches, so that's too large. I'd consider shipping it ahead. ... View more

The funds from your cancelled flight are held under the confirmation number for that flight. To use them, when booking your new flight, use the Travel Funds section during checkout, where you will enter the confirmation number.   Keep in mind that the funds can only be used by the exact same named passengers of the cancelled flight, and that the travel funds expire one year from the original date of purchase. ... View more

It's not particularly easy to navigate, but you can view your Past Trips under My Account on the website. Keep in mind that only paid flights count -- flights booked with points do not.   If you think you should have received drink coupons, I'd recommend calling Customer Relations, who can check for you. But, be prepared for a long hold time. ... View more

Another vote for Porter. Great service, and direct to downtown, avoiding YYZ. Also, you don't need to take the (very short) ferry ride anymore. They've built a tunnel to the airport, and it's a short walk. ... View more

Gift cards can only be redeemed on the website, or by calling, or at a ticket counter location (not the app).   A recent redesign of the website makes the input area hard to find. For some odd reason, Southwest now considers a gift card to be "travel funds."   In the section shown above, click on "Apply Travel Funds," and it will open this box, where you can input the Gift Card:     In general, Southwest Gift Cards can be problematic to use, have many limitations, and are non-refundable, so it's best to avoid them if possible.   Here is the very lengthy list of Southwest Gift Card Terms for reference. ... View more

Southwest has abysmal IT. Prices are often out of sync. 😞 ... View more

If you flew on a BS flight during the time covered by the suit, you were a member of the class and should have received replacement coupons automatically as part of the settlement.   The suit was about the coupons not initially specifying that they could only be used on the original flight. As part of the suit, Southwest agreed to allow use anytime on the same day, and to note those terms on the coupon.   You can use a BS coupon from a morning flight on a flight later on that same day.   I often find unused coupons available for the taking on the no-bags check-in kiosks. 😉     ... View more

If you received EarlyBird Check-In properly, your boarding pass will indicate "EarlyBird Check-In". ... View more

I agree.   However, back in 2011 Southwest began no longer accepting any of their drink coupons that had been issued without an expiration date.   Southwest had -- perhaps short-sightedly -- issued many, many drink coupons for many, many years that, without an expiration date, had to be carried as a liability on their financials. Their answer was to blanket expire them all on a set date, thus recovering that value.   Had they not been an air carrier and the coupons part of a frequent flyer program -- which meant that many consumer protections didn't apply -- they wouldn't have been able to get away with it.   Many customers were, as you'd expect, angry about this. It marked, for many, the beginning of a new era for the company, one where customer-friendly policies -- the very thing that made Southwest a success in the first place -- were over time being replaced with harsher policies and more focus on the bottom line.   The accountants are now running the show.   A class-action lawsuit was considered, but eventually, once deemed non-actionable (due to limitations in the laws that govern US air carriers), it morphed into a different case concerning only the drink coupons given with Business Select tickets. That resulted in a $29 million settlement, with replacement coupons recently being distributed to affected customers.   Hope this helps explain what happened. ... View more

I don't work for Southwest.   FYI: Official accounts of Southwest employees here are noted clearly, as in the following example:   If there are other carriers whose app does work on your phone, perhaps it would be better if you considered using them? ... View more

Sorry -- not meaning to be arrogant, just factual.   App updates are issued all the time, and it's common to support the most current OSs, which often means discontinuing support for older ones.   Five years is a very long time when it comes to IT.   "Every other app" may work now, but eventually they won't anymore. At what point do you upgrade? ... View more

To explain further: The tickets you bought ("Wanna Get Away") are non-transferrable.   This applies regardless of the age of the traveler.   Southwest does offer more expensive tickets (Business Select, Anytime or Child Fare) that are refundable, which would have allowed you to cancel for a full refund.   If your children will indeed not travel prior to the expiration of the tickets, you may be able to eventually recover some of the funds. Once expired, you can call Customer Relations (not the regular number) and request the expired funds be reissued as a voucher, usable by anyone. The fee for this is currently $100 per ticket, and these requests are granted on a case-by-case basis. This unofficial policy is subject to change at any time.         ... View more

Yes. All points earned from any of the Chase Southwest Visa cards qualify for Companion Pass qualification, including sign up bonus points. Personal + Business is your best bet, as Chase rarely (if ever) approves 2 personal accounts for the same person. (The prefer to upgrade a single account.)   Be aware that many offers have minimum spend requirements, and that there may be a delay from the time you earn the points until they post to your account. Do not cut it close at, say, the end of the year. All 110,000 points must be earned in a calendar year (Jan 1 - Dec 31), which will then qualify the earner for CP for the rest of that year and all of the following one. ... View more

Absolutely.   I mean, if you can find a carrier whose app still supports a five+ year-old OS.   And be prepared for dissapointment, because even if it does now, it won't soon.       ... View more

No "fix" is forthcoming, as they're not heading backwards. 😉 I'd recommend upgrading your phone if possible. If not, use the mobile site. ... View more

Southwest has never been at the forefront of technology. 😉   If your Daughter in Law has a printer at home, they can print out their boarding passes before they head to the airport. ... View more

@LindseyD wrote: @Thanks for the clarification, @Brifttanyj. If you upgrade to a Business Select ticket from the Wanna Get Away fare that you currently have, the original Wanna Get Away portion of the ticket will remain nonrefundable. Any new funds that you apply to make up the difference will be refundable.    One major note: If after upgrading you make any change to your itinerary, all the funds (the "refundable" BS portion -- along with the non-refundable WGA portion) will become non-refundable.   If you upgrade and then need to make a change, do not use the change function. Instead, cancel for refund + travel funds, then rebook using those funds and new money. This will retain the refundability of the BS portion. The only negative is the time you'll have to wait in getting the refund back, which can often take many weeks. 😞   I know this is very confusing. I hope this helps! ... View more

It's happening again today for me. I don't think this error is related to a specific time. Just another bug in the new system. ... View more

Unfortunately, very long hold times are pretty much the norm at Southwest these days, and the Groups department is the worst. Since you must contact them (no one else at Southwest can help, not even Customer Relations), and they don;t have any way except the phone line, I don't have any advice except to keep trying. 😞 ... View more

Actually, there are tons of restrictions. 😉 But none against children traveling on a sale fare.   It's confusing, but on Southwest, booking a child online (age 2 and up, or under age 2 if you want a seat for the child instead of them traveling as a lap child) is accomplished by choosing "adult."   There are also "Child Fares" available, but only by phone, and those are much more expensive than adult fares available online, since they're a discount off the "refundable" Anytime fare.   FYI: Here are the restrictions on the current fare sale:   Purchase from June 6 through June 8, 2017, 11:59 p.m. in the respective time zone of the originating city. Domestic travel valid August 22 through December 13, 2017. Travel to/from San Juan, Puerto Rico valid September 6 through December 7, 2017. International travel valid August 22 through December 13, 2017. Domestic travel blacked out September 1, September 4, & November 17-28, 2017. Sale fares to international destinations blacked out September 1-2 and November 18-20, 2017; sale fares from international destinations blacked out September 4-6 and November 25-28, 2017. Domestic travel is not valid on Fridays and Sundays. Travel to Florida and Nevada and from Florida to Nevada is valid only on Sundays through Wednesdays. Travel from Florida and Nevada and from Nevada to Florida is valid only on Tuesdays through Fridays. Travel to/from San Juan, Puerto Rico is valid Monday - Thursday. International travel is valid only on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Fares valid only on nonstop service. Displayed prices include all U.S. and international government taxes and fees. Points bookings do not include taxes, fees, and other government/airport charges of at least $5.60 per one-way flight. Fares not available to/from Albany and Manchester. Seats and days are limited. Fares may vary by destination, flight, and day of week and won't be available on some flights that operate during very busy travel times and holiday periods. Travel is available for one-way Wanna Get Away® fares. Fares may be combined with other Southwest Airlines® combinable fares. If combining with other fares, the most restrictive fare's rules apply. Sale fares may be available on other days of week, but that's not guaranteed. Fares are nonrefundable but may be applied toward future travel on Southwest Airlines®, as long as reservations are canceled at least ten minutes prior to the scheduled departure. Failure to cancel prior to departure will result in forfeiture of remaining funds on the reservation. Any change in itinerary may result in an increase in fare. Standby travel may require an upgrade to the Anytime fare depending on Rapid Rewards® tier status. Fares are subject to change until ticketed. Offer applies only to published, scheduled service. ... View more

No ID is required for minor children, unless under age 2 flying as a lap child.   FYI, "Child Fares" are generally much more expensive than Wanna Get Away fares available online. They are a discount off the "refundable" Anytime fare.  ... View more

Hard to tell exactly from the way it's written, but yes -- it's likely moot.  😉 ... View more

@Anonymous2771 wrote: You can't retroactively apply funds to a booking. If for some reason you rebooked the flight with either a Business Select or Anytime fare you could cancel it, get a cash refund, then rebook using the funds.  Actually, that's not exactly true. If the fare was a "refundable" fare to begin with, and any change was made, it's no longer refundable. 😞   What you suggest may work if the fare was a Wanna Get Away that was rebooked as a BS or Anytime fare. In that case, the cash refund would be for only the BS or Anytime funds -- the original WGA fare portion would be held as travel funds. Cancelling would allow for rebooking and applying all the separate travel funds towards the new reservation. (Downside being the delay in receiving the cash refund.) ... View more

@Anonymous2771 wrote: Yes, although you're better off to "change" the flight instead of cancelling. Just change it to the exact same flight at the lower fare and you'll get a travel credit to use within a year of the original booking. Be sure to keep a note of the confirmation number so you can apply the credit later, it isn't saved as a credit within your account.  Good advice!   One exception to note: If you've booked a "refundable" fare, such as Business Select, Anytime or Senior, and you need to make a change for any reason -- don't. For these fares, always cancel and rebook. Otherwise you'll lose the refundability, if needed at a later time. ... View more

@jimbain wrote: As a frequent A list flyer I get to board early and watch other passengers board with too big or too many carry-on pieces. My concern is oversized things like guitars in cases which can sometimes take up an entire overhead bin. My question is why doesn't the gate agent who takes you ticket or the flight attendant as you board the plane take the offending piece and insist it be gate checked? It doesn't seen anyone is enforcing your policies. The FAA issued a rule that requires carriers to allow instruments, such as guitars, onboard.   The rule requires that each U.S. carrier subject to this regulation allow a passenger to carry into the cabin and stow a small musical instrument, such as a violin or a guitar, in a suitable baggage compartment, such as the overhead bin or a closet, or under the seats, in accordance with FAA safety regulations and the carrier’s FAA-approved carry-on baggage program.    Carriers must allow passengers to stow their small musical instruments in an approved stowage area in the cabin if at the time the passenger boards the aircraft such stowage space is available. ... View more

No, tickets are non-transferrable. ... View more

Right now the new booking systems still has many, many issues/bugs. On points bookings, I'm seeing the "We are unable to secure the price for the flight you selected" constantly. The difference is always just a few points -- less than a dollar. Which makes no sense at all. I'm even seeing it on cash bookings, but after multiple attempts it will sometimes go through.   So. Many. Bugs. 😞 ... View more

Vouchers are good for the air fare portion only, they can't be used to pay the taxes or fees. ... View more

The free standby option for A-List members applies only to flights that depart prior to a scheduled same-day flight.   Travel on a flight following a scheduled same-day flight may be possible through the unofficial "flat tire rule." This policy allows any passenger who misses their flight but arrives at the airport within two hours of scheduled departure to be accommodated -- if space is available -- on a later flight to the same destination. ... View more