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Checking in together doesn't necessarily mean consecutive boarding positions. And Family Boarding is technically limited to one child under 6 and one parent. A 7 year old cannot board by themselves. An A-Lister essentially loses his A-List boarding benefit when he/she travels with family.
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05-04-2017
03:07 PM
Southwest recently announced that they will stop overbooking, beginning in June.
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05-04-2017
03:03 PM
EarlyBird Check-In automatically checks you in. That's really the only guaranteed benefit. Positions are based on the date you purchase EBCI, so those who add it to their itinerary the farthest in advance of travel will get the lowest numbered (best) positions. Those who buy it late can find themselves with B (or even C) positions. EBCI positions will always be behind those who bought Business Select, or paid $30/$40 at the gate for Upgraded Boarding, or who are Southwest's most frequent flyers -- "A-List" and "A-List Preferred." Glitches and bad policies* not withstanding, those who buy EBCI will always be ahead of those who didn't and just check themselves in at t-24. *Southwest re-uses the positions of people who are checked in but then cancel their flight before departure. Since these are often A-Listers, those positions can be very good -- low A's. Any random person checking themselves in manually, even at the last minute, can get one of those great positions if they happen to be the next person to check in after the other person cancels. It's unfair to those who pay the extra EBCI fee, but that's how Southwest does it.
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05-04-2017
02:55 PM
1 Love
General advice: Ticket prices are often very high when the schedule extension is first released. Then they drop a bit. The "sweet spot" seems to be about 6 weeks out. After that point, they start rising again, as it gets closer to the travel date. This of course varies widely, depending on you location/destination, and date of travel. Prime travel periods (Spring break, around the holidays, etc.) tend to not drop as much from their initial price. Southwest's fares fluctuate often, so it's best to check often and re-fare if it's dropped since you booked.
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05-04-2017
02:48 PM
Unfortunately, Southwest allows seat saving -- including full rows. There is no policy for or against seat saving, so FA's do not want to get involved. So telling the FA would do no good. Seat saving is a contentious issue, and is often a topic of heated discussion here. In fact, the most recent thread was closed by the moderators, after they noted that Southwest has no intention of creating a policy against seat saving anytime soon.
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05-04-2017
02:43 PM
ddart: bakerbaker622 mentioned"purchasing early bird at time of booking." When you make a multi-passenger reservation, you can only purchase EBCI for all passengers on that reservation. This is from the FAQ you referenced. 😉
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05-04-2017
02:35 PM
EarlyBird Check-In positions are assigned based on the purchase date. If you bought EBCI for both reservations at the same time, then it's likely the EBCI dropped off one of them through an infamous Southwest "glitch." (Although it is possible to get a C boarding pass with EBCI, as Southwest places no limit on how many they will sell per flight.) Check your printed boarding passes -- do they both say "EarlyBird Check-In"? If not, then it did drop off. If that's the case, Southwest Customer Relations will refund the fee. Whoever has the A boarding pass can simply save a seat for the other person. Southwest allows seat saving.
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05-03-2017
09:55 PM
05-03-2017
09:55 PM
Were you applying for the card using the offer that includes the "statement credit," shown as part of the total of your Southwest website purchase? There are better offers out there. Like this one: https://creditcards.chase.com/a1/southwest/osam40kplus People frequently complain that the "statement credit" offer doesn't complete. Southwest will only refer you to Chase. 😞
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05-03-2017
04:46 PM
05-03-2017
04:46 PM
I'm not sure what you mean. Southwest planes (except the old 300s and newly purchased used 700s) have wifi that connects you to their in-cabin entertainment system, which includes content such as free (sponsored) live TV, and some pay movie options. In general, that system works pretty well. To connect to the internet, you need to pay $8 (currently). This is the system we're discussing. That internet connectivity is iffy at best.
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05-03-2017
02:08 PM
1 Love
On Southwest, you can change your flight without a change fee, even the lowest "Wanna Get Away" fares. If the new price is less you'll receive the difference as "travel funds" good towards future travel. Those funds are valid for one year from the date you originally booked, for the same passenger(s) only, and all new travel must be completed by the expiration (not just booked). Be careful when using those funds, because when combined with new money to book a new flight, the entire ticket (including the new money) will take on the oldest expiration date.
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05-02-2017
06:22 PM
Ok, gotcha -- thanks for posting! Yeah, unfortunately that's just poor marketing language. The quotes around "tenured" are apparently to indicate that the term isn't being used literally. (Kinda like how "Points don't expire!") 😉
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You'll need to call -- you can't do that online.
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Southwest buys internet connectivity bandwidth from their satellite provider, and it's not cheap. Also, the performance is often abysmal. With the challenges they currently have providing this service, it's unlikely they would make things worse (and using more bandwdth) by giving it away free to more customers. This is requested frequently, but it's very unlikely it would happen anytime soon.
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05-02-2017
06:13 PM
05-02-2017
06:13 PM
I know this isn't much comfort to the OP, but it's probably a good idea to avoid SFO for a while. I generally prefer OAK, even without the SFO runway work, because SFO also often has delays due to fog.
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05-02-2017
06:10 PM
05-02-2017
06:10 PM
Unfortunately, no. YBS drink coupons are valid only on the day of travel. A class-action lawsuit was just settled regarding Southwest's original policy of only allowing the drink coupon to be used on that specific flight. Members of the class are now receiving replacement coupons, good anytime through May 1, 2018. https://www.southwestvouchersettlement.com/ The lawsuit also required Southwest to state the validity period on the coupon, which now prevents a new lawsuit from being actionable. When I'm checking in at the airport, I often see BS drink coupons laying on or near the no-bag-check kiosks, presumably left behind by BS travelers for others to use. It might be worth checking.
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05-02-2017
06:03 PM
Are you unable to get the doctor's note? Sounds like they'll give you a refund if you do that.
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05-02-2017
05:36 PM
6 Loves
The Air Carrier Access Act, the relevant law that governs travel aboard commercial air carriers, does not allow a carrier to dictate which seats the disabled must use. In addition, many disabled actually need the bulkhead row, for a number of reasons. Your comparison to other carriers is invalid, as customers take the seat in the class for which they've paid, and Southwest has only one class of service. It's true that the pre-boarding policy is abused, and that Southwest's unique boarding system -- and most importantly, their monetization of it -- exacerbates the situation. But unless the federal regulations are revised, there's really nothing to be done. I expect this will be yet another reason that moves Southwest to assigned seating.
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05-01-2017
11:06 PM
1 Love
Sounds like Southwest is requesting something to validate the special circumstance refund request of a non-refundable fare. Getting a doctor's letter shouldn't be difficult, doctor's offices do it all the time.
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05-01-2017
02:03 PM
It's not showing up. Perhaps the scan isn't saved as a jpg? Maybe try taking a photo with your cellphone? Or just tell us what exactly it says?
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05-01-2017
02:00 PM
2 Loves
Bring, yes. Consume, no. FAA regulations prevent passengers from consuming any alcohol that is not served to them by a flight attendant.
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05-01-2017
01:55 PM
05-01-2017
01:55 PM
I believe they may be able to check you in by phone. Another option would be to have a trusted friend with a computer or smartphone check in for you. They would just need your name and confirmation number. Lastly, you could pay the extra $15 fee (one way) for EarlyBird Check-In, which would automatically check you in at 36 hours prior to departure. Once you get to the airport, you can get your boarding pass from a kiosk.
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05-01-2017
12:28 AM
To attach a jpg, hit "Reply," then click on the camera icon or the word "Photos."
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If you think Southwest's customer service is unacceptable, just wait until you try another carrier. 😉
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04-29-2017
02:45 PM
04-29-2017
02:45 PM
Unfortunately, very long hold times are pretty normal these days. If you need and answer right away, I'd recomend Twitter. If your need isn't time-sensitive, I'd recomend sending a snail-mail letter: Southwest Airlines P.O. Box 36647-1CR Dallas, Texas 75235 Good luck!
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You may want to delete your confirmation numbers, for security reasons. On the website, next to the passenger name, there will be a small sunrise icon under the "Extras" column if you have EarlyBird Check-In.
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04-28-2017
08:46 PM
You'll need to call -- you can't do that online. A phone rep can cancel your father's ticket (only). For the outbound, you'll receive travel funds, usable by your father, valid until the expiration date of the vouchers you used. For the return, you have the appropriate number of points deposited back into your account.
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04-28-2017
08:42 PM
04-28-2017
08:42 PM
Unfortunately, Southwest has some issues with KTN's properly populating to an itinerary. While they'll tell you that "PreCheck is never guaranteed," you should be getting it 95%+ of the time. If you've called and had them add the KTN and Pre is still not showing up, you should 1) verify that the KTN is correct, and 2) verify that the name on your reservation exactly matches the name on your Global Entry (including middle name or initial). Good luck!
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04-28-2017
01:35 PM
3 Loves
This is often suggested. Perhaps one day it might be implemented, but it's unlikely. Charging for internet is a way of limiting it's use and saving bandwidth. Many people report issues with access now, as it is. Rather than having them go unused, have you considered giving your drink coupons to other travelers?
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04-28-2017
01:30 PM
18 Loves
All flights get beverage service. Short flights get peanuts and/or pretzels. Longer flights get a choice of larger snacks. Service is sometimes not given in cases of lengthy turbulence. I generally make sure I have something (granola bar or snack mix) in my carryon, just in case.
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