Southwest Airlines Community

Thanks, @franktravel -- a while ago, it was Feb 8th, so I had not realized it moved to Feb 15th.  Saves me a midnight wake up and being disappointed. ... View more

@A13KimVKley, I am not sure I understand the question.  If you bought a one-way ticket, the email confirmation would have the fare (+ fees and taxes) for the total that you paid.    Are you trying to find out what the fare was for each leg of a round trip ticket?  If yes, look on your original email confirmation.  Above the "Cost and Payment Summary," there should be some three letter Airport codes in all caps.  The data in that string of characters is the Base Fares, Segment Fees and Passenger Facility Charges.  The data in the "Cost and Payment Summary," adds the Excise Taxes (approx 7.5%) and the Sept 11 Security Fee ($5.10 for each direction).     ... View more

@ Bamafan3162, it is important to tell TSA about the metal implants before you walk through a metal detector.  They want the people with metal implants to use the full-body (millimeter-wave) scanners - the ones that look like round phone booths.   The security notation on your boarding pass (randomly assigned TSA-Pre check or regular/no notation) typically determines which type of scanner, but you can usually see the difference.  And every now and then, I have seen them shake things up, like with a canine security check but that is not frequent.   If you walk through a metal detector with an implant, they have to do a pat-down search and cannot just turn you around to the body scanner line because the attendant has to address every alarm, and cannot lose someone in the crowd by sending them elsewhere.   Good luck - I know you can handle it.  The carry-on bag(s) - what stays in and what comes out - can be more challenging than the metal/full body scan.  You might want to read up on it here: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening ... View more

@Bella12, there is an ability to send a private message within the Community website.  If you click on a forum participant's name and it brings up their profile, you can click "Send a message" on the right.  It not only makes it private, but shows up as a notification to the recipient when they log in again. Good luck with the job hunt. ... View more

good question, @silverhawk422, but I somewhat doubt it.  The RR Program rules say "To qualify for A-List status, you will need to fly 25 Southwest Airlines one-way qualifying flights ...." so they may not count an outbound leg of a round trip.  if it does not post, I would suggest printing out the receipt and your account information and mailing in a letter to the Rapid Rewards group with a request.   I buy a lot of one-way tickets because I find they are easier to change and no difference in price, so if you are traveling at the end of next year, you might want to buy two one way tickets to avoid the problem.   I hope it works out for you, and I might see you soon between position A16 and A60 in the poles. ... View more

@blsinmd, Southwest grew its company by appealing to two types of customers -- those traveling short-haul routes (cities that are close) and leisure travelers (who trade time and frills for savings).  Admittedly, "short"-haul business customers fared better when they were literally short (under 6 ft), yet that is true for every airline as well as every train, bus and automobile.    Now they are courting more long-haul passengers, but assigning seats is a big change, and they have proven that assigned seats slows them down and cuts into profits, so it is unlikely to happen if it reduces profitability.  They do not want to be the same as other airlines.   I realize your point in that not saving seats is a different policy than assigning seats, but they have flown for a long time without it causing big problems.  If any person gets on the plane with a mindset of expecting a specific seat or a specific row in mind; sure, it causes potential for fights, but why would someone fly Southwest with that expectation?   I am an A-lister, and I am a short, short-haul customer, so I probably do not have the same bulkhead/exit row issues, but I frequently fly with three guys who are over 6 feet tall.  If they have a long haul flight, they often use different airlines. Because when we are on Southwest, we know there is no guarantee that one can get their preferred seating.    If you choose to be angry about the topic, nothing I will say can change your mind, but try to consider the potential pros and cons of being a free-range passenger.    Pros - (1) You might get lucky at times - a last minute change might result in Boarding Pass A3 or an excellent seat mate; (2) You can practice your softskills for sales that are useful in the workplace -- convincing someone to move or stop saving seats can feel like a win (if you accept the chance that you might not win); (3) more flight options because the company can have more flights if they turn planes quicker; (4) the potential money saved because more flights may mean cheaper flights; and mostly, (5) the chance to have a great flight probably does not involve sitting next to someone who has already shown disdain for your preferences - might as well move on if they won't allow you to sit there because even if y'all did sit next to each other, there would probably be other problems such as elbows, hair, seat shifting or shoes taken off.   Cons - (1) you might get unlucky at times - further back, less legroom or next to some unpleasant seatmate (oh, wait, I mentioned that one in the pros as a good thing to avoid); and (2) if you want to start a fight, the stubborn seat saver is probably happy to comply.   I have compared airline policies, times and prices because I am an A-lister, and I choose Southwest whenever I can because I like the freedoms (especially no change fees) and I choose to accept being a free range passenger every time I board because that is just what they offer.  That freedom thing means I don't want them to try to regulate every interaction between every customer or employee, and sometimes, that means that flying is not fun.  But sometimes it is!   (See True-LUV-in-Row-17)    I hope your travels give you more good results than bad.  See you after A15 and before A60 (on most flights)! ... View more

Congratulations!  That is amazing.  Many happy future flights! ... View more

I never used GetAwayFinder.  How different was it from the "interactive route search tool"? https://www.southwest.com/flight/routemap_dyn.html?clk=GSUBNAV-AIR-ROUTEMAP I can either hover over the city or click on list view, pick a departure, determine whether there are any non-stops by filtering at the top, etc.  Did the old tool show (accurate) prices?  Anything else? ... View more

So sorry this happened.  Between flights, the attendants zip down the rows, picking up obvious trash, but unless the wallet just happened to be on the seat in plain view, they might have missed it.  Or worse, someone else may have picked it up as they were exiting or on the next flight.  I hope it found its way home to you, but there are many things that may have prevented that.   You could call customer service to get the corrected info input or start fresh by entering the request online at Link to report lost & found for SWA. ... View more

I would call customer service rather than trying to do it online.  Hopefully the wait is not too bad on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, but if you can wait until tomorrow, the call might be answered quicker. ... View more

@Pskallman, This is not directly related to companion fares, but I have had intermittent troubles rebooking tickets online at lower prices since the software change in May of 2017.  It is always reserved when I call customer service, but I would prefer to handle it myself and save me and them the time.  Hopefully the IT group is working on it, but I don't have any solutions other than calling or coming back later to the website and trying again. ... View more

@Dreamer09, Sorry to hear about your troubles.  I try not to check bags if I can avoid it because I hate waiting and it gives me more flexibiity if flights change.    You can write or call Customer Service, but the fault may be the airPORT's and not the airLINE's, but they will investigate and respond. https://www.southwest.com/contact-us/contact-us.html?clk=GFOOTER-CUSTOMER-CONTACT-US   Also, in the future, you may want to use a new post rather than replying to someone else's, and on a community blog, you may not want to use your real name.  Typically the moderator will send you a private message if they think they can help handle a problem.    Good luck and again, I wish this had not happened to you.  We frequent flyers usually have a treasure trove of bad stories (re-routes, computer breakdowns, etc), and I try to keep in mind that one can have trouble driving as well as flying (accidents, car breakdowns etc). ... View more

Would you be able to cancel the round trip and book as two separate one way trips without having a drastic price increase?  That would get the outbound trip and the 2017 miles posted in 2017. ... View more

@igrimes63, it is a zoo after VooDoo (music festival).  Certain times of the year are really crowded for the MSY airport and Halloween is one of those times.  (Jazz Fest and Mardi Gras are two of the other times.)    Hopefully SWA will get to add the luggage self-check kiosks soon.  The New Orleans Aviation Board has to approve all changes, so either or both parties may be delaying because they are building a new New Orleans airport which is scheduled to open in early 2019.    I keep hoping for a ticketing line and TSA security line app that gives the length of time needed. If we have them for traffic, it seems like it could work for the airport.  TSA tried one within their app but it was self reporting, and they dropped it after about a year (even though I thought it was fairly accurate.)  If one knows there will be extra people at the airport, they will typically allow extra time.   I hope the rest of your visit was enjoyable, that your arrival was okay, and that you will consider another visit even though your departure airport experience may have not been the best. ... View more

Thanks, y'all.  That specific item had not crossed my mind, and I see it now. ... View more

Look on your original email confirmation.  Above the "Cost and Payment Summary," there should be some three letter Airport codes in all caps.  The data in that string of characters is the Base Fares, Segment Fees and Passenger Facility Charges.  The data in the "Cost and Payment Summary," adds the Excise Taxes (approx 7.5%) and the Sept 11 Security Fee ($5.10 for each direction).   I hope that helps, but it might take some explanation if it is going to someone who approves your expenses. ... View more

I am not sure about the cash advance and the card.   One year, I took a short round trip to a place I did not need to go on a Saturday in December because I needed just those few miles to trigger the companion pass.  I knew the pass would get used in the next year, so I just found a good book, boarded without luggage and took a round trip to a random airport.   If you are trying to trigger it for use immediately, be aware that the policy says "Points earned during a billing cycle on a Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card from Chase are not available for redemption or qualification for Companion Pass status until they are posted on your billing statement and posted to your Rapid Rewards Account. Only points posted on your billing statements and posted to your Rapid Rewards Account during the same calendar year are available for qualification for Companion Pass status." RR Program Rules   ... View more

How exciting for you!  Your arrival plan to get from curb to gate will depend on a number of issues and should start long before you get to the airport.  Assuming no special needs and packing only toiletries, shoes & clothing, here are my suggestions.   1. Check-in online 24 hours before your flight to get the best possible boarding number. you can print at home or at the airport. 2. Make sure to have your government ID with you. 3. Plan for an early arrival.  1.5 to 2 hours before departure is probably enough time. Boarding is typically 30 minutes before departure, getting through security about 30-45 minutes and checking bags about 30 minutes. 4. Consider whether you want to check baggage or carry it on.  2 bags are free on Southwest and you check them at the Southwest ticket counter inside the terminal.  Check out the baggage rules here: https://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/baggage/index.html?clk=GFOOTER-CUSTOMER-BAGS   Size matters in carry-ons, plus see notes about liquids in the next section.  5. Getting through security.  Look on your boarding pass to see if you have been randomly selected as TSA Pre-check or not because that drives what line you get in.  (a) show your boarding pass and ID together, (b) one quart size ziploc bag with no liquids bigger than 3.4 ounces, (c) laptop in its own (TSA provided) container in line,and (d) if not TSA pre-check (with first flight, you probably would not be pre-check), shoes, belt and jacket off, everything out of your pockets, (e) go through screening and put everything together on the other side.  Information available here: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening 6. Get to the gate area, get water if you want, use restroom in the terminal (much better than the plane), note your boarding position (no assigned seats for Southwest) and wait for them to announce the boarding.   The Memphis airport has a website that addresses common issues - check out these pages: http://www.flymemphis.com/dropoff-pickup http://www.flymemphis.com/airport-security Southwest typically flys out of terminal A in Memphis.   Southwest has a long list of frequently asked questions that might be useful. https://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/faqs.html?clk=GFOOTER-CUSTOMER-FAQ My suggestions are very high level and assume no delays due to weather or large travel events like a big convention letting out all at once or Memphis having some big festival on Halloween.  I can't cover all the issues but I hope I hit the highlights for you.  Best of luck and safe travels. ... View more

Southwest's announcement regarding the incident to which you are referring. https://www.southwestaircommunity.com/t5/Southwest-Stories/Response-to-Customer-Incident-on-Flight-1525/ba-p/60790 ... View more

do you mean money like a "cash back" rewards program?  Not that I am aware.  The card gives miles, rather than cash rewards, and not both. ... View more

In addition to the weather advisory situation, you might also try writing out the issue in some detail and mailing it to Customer Service along with receipts.  The company tries to make things right but it needs all the information which is difficult to gather on the phone in a situation with duplicate weather emergencies.  No promises and of course, I don't know the entire situation in detail, but it might be worth the cost of one first class mailing.  It is a good company, and I hope you won't dismiss them due to one bad experience.   ... View more

Aw, you are making me miss Capital D, little a, double L, a, s.   Re Dallas Photos:  Las Colinas/Mustang Sculpture: http://mustangsoflascolinas.com/   Re Dallas Eats: Mattito's Chile Relleno Queen of Sheba (if you have an Ethiopian craving in the middle of Texas) ... View more

You can check baggage policies on weights and lengths here.  I do not know about TSA - if in doubt, check it in as baggage.   https://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/baggage/index.html?clk=GFOOTER-CUSTOMER-BAGS ... View more

Courtneypj - I've been there before.  Best purchase I made was the car-seat-stroller combo.  At the time Sit-n-Stroll was the only option.  Now that one is still available, but it looks they have added some such as the Doona.  It was expensive, but we knew we would be traveling a lot, so we just made the investment.  It lasted from infancy to 5 years old and worth every penny. ... View more