Southwest Airlines Community

Thank you so much! ... 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

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

Thanks for the clarification, @chgoflyer. Yes, there are restrictions, but none of them have to do with children or age. Also @knightchow, if you've got any other little ones, bear in mind that children under the age of 2 are allowed to travel free as lap children.    ... View more

Dang it, moot, mute... You win that one. It's too early and I shouldn't be posting before I've had my caffeine.  ... 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

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

DARN!!! ... View more

I received a LUV voucher last year.  I took a picture of it so as not to lose it.  Unfortunately my iphone was damaged and I couldn't afford another one and I hadn't backed up my phone prior to this.  I finally found someone to repair it and found my voucher.  Can these vouchers be extended? ... View more

They aren't supposed to accept them, but many FAs don't even look at the expiration date. Just be ready to pay with credit card if your drink coupons are denied. ... View more

You'll receive the difference as travel funds, usable by the original passenger(s) only, good for one year from the date you originally bought the first flight (new flight must be completed by that date). Be aware that when you apply funds to a new reservation, that new reservation takes on the (earlier) expiration date of the funds. ... View more

Two things:   1) Note that, for some reason, the icon is only shown once per itinerary, not for each flight.     2) If your itinerary is only for the return flight and shows no icon, contact Southwest Customer Relations, as it may have fallen off due to the dreaded Southwest "glitch." (Although, at this late date with a flight tomorrow, there's nothing they can do except refund your EBCI fee.) ... View more

I have empathy for you because I lost 100,000+ miles on another carrier when my frequent flyer account was dormant for just 12 months and no, there was no written warning.  I definitely learned my lesson, and all the information was available to me in the rules (that I had admittedly not read in detail).  Now I sprinkle a few non-Southwest flights around my schedule during each year, and I have a credit card from another carrier for a few recurring charges such as the cable bill.   As soon as Southwest starts flying worldwide, I won't have to do that anymore.   If the 138,000 mile total would have been about 5 free flights, grab that credit card deal, and the sign-on bonus should make up for about half of your miles/flights.  Hopefully, Southwest's low fares will still let you do the traveling that you had hoped to do.  Because you are retired, keep in mind that the fares are typically much cheaper on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.   Enjoy your retirement!  ... View more

Did you boarding passes not say "EarlyBird Check-In" on them? If not, it likely dropped off due to an infamous Southwest IT "glitch." And you are due a refund. Contact Customer Relations at 1-855-234-4654. ... View more

Yes, unfortunately Southwest blocks website access to many outside the US. 😞   They say that it's an "issue they are working on," but it's been this way for well over a year now, and even the most inept IT department should be able to fix something within that timeframe.   As you mentioned, you may be able to access through the app, or using a proxy server online (Google for more info).   Good luck! ... View more

Yes! But, don't rebook -- just use the "change flight" function and choose the same flights (but at the new lower fare). That way, you won't lose EarlyBird Check-In (if purchased) or risk losing the flight should the transaction not complete correctly. ... View more

 Thank you, again, for the info! ... View more

@RockyMtn wrote: That ridiculous excuse, as you call it" is actually policy. Family boarding is for the kids and parents. This does not include anyone else. If she was too "fragile" for the exit row, then one of the Dads should have manned up and switched seats with her. No.   Here's the official written policy, in full:     Notice that it does not specify "kids and parents." It says, literally, "an adult traveling with a child."   An adult. A child.   This family had three adults and three children. They should not have been stopped.   Unfortunately, Southwest created a bad situation, then hid behind a vague policy to defend their employee's actions.   Most distressing is that they never reached out to the family after the incident -- to get their side of the story, or further explain the policy, or to just deescalate the situation.   Their press release refers to "decency and respect," but none was shown to the family. They at least owed them the courtesy of being contacted.   Sad.     ... View more

Also, if you bought them from Southwest, they should have shipped FedEx for free.       ... View more

Yes, vouchers can be used by anyone. Be aware though, vouchers only cover the travel portion, not any taxes or fees. ... View more

The flyer always gets the points for their ticket, regardless of who purchased it. The points are earned after the completion of travel.   To earn additional points for the purchase, get the Southwest Visa Card. The cardholder will earn 2 points per dollar for all Southwest (and partner companies) purchases (1 point per dollar for everything else), including purchases for others. ... View more

Rather than wait until being within the 24 hours before departure window, how about offering one's boarding sequence number based on when the ticket is purchased, rather than opening the "24 hours free-for-all?"  The 24 hours thing is inherently unfair to local boarding passengers anyway because passengers connecting in from a previous flight were given numerical access before the local boarding folks.  The date of purchase sequence gives everyone the same opportunity. ... View more

Unfortunately, the Family Boarding policy is very vague. It literally says, "an adult traveling with a child..."   In practice, two adults are often allowed to board with a child. Or multiple children, including some over the age limit. Or multi-generational families. It's very much up to the discretion of the Ops Agent, which becomes a problem if that discretion is wielded based on bigotry or bias.   In my opinion, incidents such as the recent one involving the two fathers are caused by the vague policy and inconsistent application. Southwest would do well to address this, but I suspect they won't.   😞 ... View more

For international travel only, you must use the More Rewards function -- only available to Southwest Visa Card cardholders. At the moment, international booking through More Rewards is down (and has been for some time), meaning you must call More Rewards to book: 1-800-833-4861.   ... View more

If you are looking for a refund write to:    Southwest Airlines Refunds Department P.O. Box 36649 Dallas, Texas 75235-1649 ... View more

Hi @stacey1410 and @mbohs,   Please contact our Customer Relations Department at 1-855-234-4654 to speak with one of our Customer Representatives. They'll be able to pull up your account and verify that you met all the Terms and Conditions of the promotion.    ... View more

Thank you for the reply  it really does not seem legal! I did as you  suggested . I think the fact that they refunded my 30 dollar fee immediately confused me. i also do not understand why the company has two sets of standards for customer service. When reserving or changing flights if there is a long wait, you can be put  in a cue and they will call you back. When you call the customer relations line the wait times are 45 minutes to 68 minutes or longer and there's no option for that. After years of being impressed with southwest, I realize, it's only because I was lucky enough not to have any money issues! ... View more

Southwest's new reservation system has that limitation, and they have no intention of changing it. 😞   Here's a work-around: Book a "dummy" flight using two vouchers. It doesn't matter where, just make sure the name is the same as the final flight you need. Then cancel, and use those funds plus the remaining voucher towards the new actual flight. ... View more