Southwest Airlines Community

@chgoflyer wrote: Southwest is basically reinventing itself. It's really no longer a no-frills, low fare carrier -- that role has been taken over by carriers like Spirit and Frontier, etc. Now the focus is on offering the best "overall travel value." Interesting . That strategy seems to be working. I regularly follow another airline related blog. There's a discussion about Jet blue planning to add a deep discount  fare(Spirit like service) to it's portfolio. There's discussion about whether or not Southwest will need to do so to remain competitive ( since it seems everyone else is adding the "low" level of service option).   Another blog follower chimed in an basically confirmed what chgoflyer said:   "  I just did a cross country rt this week and chose WN with a connection over AA nonstop. And I'm a lifetime AA gold.  I had really exemplary WN crews on all 4 flights. Really service-oriented FAs. I get points that actually can be redeemed. I had a long connection and walked over to a random WN gate and asked the agent for a standby on an earlier flight and within 10 seconds I got an earlier flight boarding pass with a smile. I like to reward service instead of nickel-and-diming."   " ... View more

Yes, the Wright Amendment is gone now.  Things are finally right with Love Field. (Former DFW resident) ... View more

@CareforNOLA wrote: @AvKrayez, ...Unlike many people on this post, I never called a separate phone number.  Though I probably should have on occasion.     Only because I saved it into my phone as the primary number, I don't usually have my card handy either!     ... View more

@CareforNOLA wrote: @Craftychick, I hope your knitting project is one loooong scarf, because it is much harder to bite through yarn than thread, and I have seen TSA confiscate cuticle scissors and even smaller folding scissors.     I wonder if you knit something a couple of rows wide but the length of the plane’s interior?  I would say that is a tall order but it is actually a long order.       That's actual size for a Doctor Who scarf!   ... View more

@Tmichelle,  i hope your trip goes well.  First, give yourself some extra time because navigating the airport in a mobile device can be a challenge.  Second, if possible, I recommend an early morning flight.  Usually the airport is a little quieter, but it is up to you on the timing of the flight. Next, upon arriving at the gate, please tell the gate agent, that you would like to pre-board.  Let them know the level of disability, that is, is there any mobility?  Standing?  Transferring?  Then, preboards are called to board first.  an attendant helps speed the process along by getting the person on board and arranging to gate check the wheelchair. Or if assistance is needed for more assistance, the airlines have a special wheelchair that can get on and down the aisles.  It is not ideal but it can work.     If if you go the frequently asked questions in the Southwest.com website, you can find more information.  Safe travels. ... View more

@DancingDavidE wrote: @chgoflyer wrote: If this was indeed a maintenance delay (as opposed to weather) then you should receive compensation. Often, Southwest's proactive customer support will email with a voucher for the inconvenience. If you don;t hear from them soon, reach out to Customer Relations -- I recommend via Twitter direct message for the quickest response.   FYI: FAs will often comp drinks on a delayed flight, but that seems to be tightening of late. I've never heard of comped wifi, especially in an IROPS situation. Due to bandwidth issues, the more people that are using the wifi the worse the service is, so the last thing they would want to do is let everyone on board have free access. My recent flights that were delayed the FA didn't seem to come back for payments. I'm always prepared to pay or provide a ticket, but appreciate when they seem to have an unwritten rule not to do that.   Anyway, for the OP: you should ask for something if you would like to receive any compensation. In this case most people going to that airport that were local or who would have parked cars there wouldn't have been impacted too badly, but for your son it was a bid deal and it would be fair for you to call and voice your feelings, or as mentioned reach out by Twitter.   Also they probably did comp drinks onboard for many people, but this may not have included your son if he's underage.   If you opt for social media I'd suggest a softer approach along the lines of "Can someone reach out to me about flight delay due to maintenance?"   About two weeks ago, my LAS-MDW was delayed over an hour. I ordered a drink and had a coupon ready to hand over, expecting it to be declined, but the FA did collect it (and, with scanner in hand, seemed to be charging others). Last night, my MSY-MDW flight was delayed about 35 minutes. The two people next to me ordered drinks, and when the FA didn't ask for payment I assumed they were comping them due to the delay. (I ordered a non-alcoholic drink -- I didn't really need another one after a weekend in NOLA.) 😉 Near the end of the flight, however, the FA came back through with the scanner and collected payment from them (and others). I overheard the person behind me say that they thought the drinks were free, but the FA's reply was to just laugh.   It certainly seems like I'm seeing less comped drinks lately, but YMMV. ... View more

@Gdthompson99 wrote: I left my wallet on flight 1506 today from Phoenix to Louisville.  After I deplaned, the flight continued on to Baltimore.  Do they search the plane between flights?  Or do they only search once it reaches its final destination?   I filed a lost item report over the phone, but apparently the rep took down my last name incorrectly because when I went to check the status, it said my last name and report number (from the email I received) was not a correct combination.  How do I get this corrected? I'm not sure if it may make sense to make a new report, although the old report could end up matching the item I don't know what would happen if two reports matched a recovered item. Eventually you'd want to get the old one corrected I guess, or retracted.         ... View more

@basslaw2010 wrote: To add on, Rapid Rewards shopping is even easier than Rapid Rewards dining because with dining you have to find a participating restaurant and may have to spend more than you want. With shopping, you can buy something online for just a few dollars and choose in store pickup to avoid shipping fees. And, you can buy something you were going to buy anyway. I eat a lot, so I'm clear on that one, but I see what you mean about any item that you were going to buy anyway.      ... View more

@Jordanemery27   did you just earn A List? I know back the first year I earned A List I had a B group and was like huh so I called and they told me they needed to refresh my reservations since I was booked as a non a lister but became one so a simple call to reservations fixed that problem    if you have been A List for more than a year I would definitely reach out to customer relations do they can investigate    also I did have 2 occasions back last December where I was in the middle B group so I called to see what was up and then come to find out there were 70-80 A Listers going from AUS to DAL (trying to get last minute A List flights is my guess)    hope this gets fixed for you Blake  ... View more

@Stephanieb41, my experience is that the temporary will work but I had to agree to a more complete screening— full patdown and bag inspection.  I had to allow more time but it didn’t prevent me from boarding the plane.    Safe and fun travels. ... View more

Complete nightmare is an understatement. SW has the worst tracking system (it is actually nonexistent) and the worst baggage claim agents known to man. I work in customer service and if anyone one my staff handled incidents the way that these people have...they’d terminated immediately. They’re not helpful across the board, from the 1-800 baggage reps to the actual agents at the airport both are deplorable as it pertains to service. They’re only interested in over talking you and telling you it’s your fault as it was told to me. No one wants to take responsibility for losing my bag, but I’m the culprit...I cancelled my own I guess?!?!?! Unbelievable! Yesterday (8/21) my 10 am flight was cancelled from Midway to BWI and just about every other subsequent flight after that was cancelled leaving me to camp out in the airport all day and take a late evening flight. I asked if there were other alternatives and there were earlier flights heading to DCA, so I asked if that was an option and they said yes. So, I was booked and an “email” was sent to the folks who only handle retagging bags as I was told. The flight tO DC left at 1220, i rebooked before 830, so no one could pull and retag my ONE bag in 4 hours, seriously? Long story short, I get to Dca, no bag, filed the claim report and now I sit and wait as NO ONE on the SW customer service staff can help...again no tracking. They only scan when bags arrive apparently. I just got off of the phone with the DCA agents and the BWI agents saying my bag is being sent to DCA on a flight, really? Dca and Bwi are very close in travel proximity. However, DCA asks me if I’m requesting it be sent to them???? No idiot...that’s the arrangement you guys (SW) set up not me. I actually went to be Bwi last night as I had to get my car and waited for a couple of hours to see if my bags made it on any of the flights able to leave midway without cancellation. No bag, so I went home and decided to check the baggage claim site for updates. THis morning i check and my status said “Matched.” I have called DCA, BWI and SW directly and all were rude and not helpful. Look, sh— happens, I understand that. So, it’s not that the bag is delayed/lost it’s the lack of customer care that’s making this situation horrible. I use to give SW major props for good CS and pleasant travel experiences, but this coupled with a couple other minor incidents recently has completely changed my POV. I use SW for business and leisure...not anymore. Customers are clearly not the priority. ... View more

Just and FYI there is no such thing as a lap item.  ... View more

@Angrycustomer88,  not reboarding the plane is an FAA policy, not a Southwest policy.  Though I do not agree with the flight attendant’s methods, she was attempting to enforce policies that the federal government set up for everyone’s flying safety.  Just like locks on the cockpit door, the federal government concluded that if people could get back on, they might leave something aboard that could be dangerous (even though I would argue that they were screened in the first place so how?). But I do not know how secure the outer doors on the jetway are.     The airline has to enforce FAA safety standards, so even though she was overly aggressive, she is required to assume you had been trying to do something bad to the plane and that you did not care about anyone getting in your way.   I remember when the FAA required a pat down of any passengers flying on a one way ticket after 2001 because a suicidal terrorist would not pay for a round trip ticket.  I was relieved when they changed that policy, but I grudgingly complied knowing that someone deemed that it was for everyone’s safety, and I knew complaints to the agent doing the patdown were not the proper channel to voice disagreement.   I know the experience was bad, but remembering that the people who did the bombings did not even care about their own lives is the reason for the aggression. Terrorists are not reasonable people so the attendants are trained for that potential situation to enforce the rules assuming that the offender is unreasonable.     It is similar to joking about guns in the TSA line.  They can haul off a person and lock them up for a time just for what seems like an exercise of free speech, but jokes are not appropriate in every situation, and those folks are working toward our safety.  I hate that the 99.5% have to toe the line because 0.5% want to do harm, but unfortunately the 0.5% operate completely different from the average Joe or Jane and people charged with law enforcement have to be prepared mentally.     Someone will argue that the airlines at times have to empty a plane and then reboard it, but in those situations, the gate agent handles the boarding process and everyone has to have a boarding pass.  That process falls under a different process that a random person walking down a jetway toward the plane.  I even have seen gate agents start then stop the boarding process announcing that the flight attendants were not ready so they may be deemed the decision makers as to who gets on board when.   again, I am sorry this happened to you in this manner,  ... View more

Officially, Southwest says they do send an email prior to expiration. For what it's worth, everyone who I've seen complain about losing their points claims they never received any message. My recommendation would be to send multiple messages. It seems like I get multiple expiration warning messages from other carriers with which I have many less miles/points. ... View more

Just watched the video! That's really cool, glad southwest is reusing the leather and providing artisans with it to make the fashion accessories! ... View more

Unfortunately, Southwest has made it harder to track travel funds by repeatedly removing information from confirmation emails (as you've mentioned). There is no "official" reason that I know of... but I'm sure you can guess why they would like less travel funds redeemed. ... View more

Thanks, this worked!   ... View more

As @CareforNOLA and @TheMiddleSeat have already pointed out, we have no access to personal information. We’re here to help. I’m a big, cheesy fanboy of SW airlines for countless reasons, and long before this site existed, I was sharing my love for and knowledge of SW to everyone. As a frequent flyer whose flown them all, SW is the best choice for me and my family. Community Champion or not, I will always promote SW.   It should also be noted that this is a customer Community site. It is designed for us to help each other! My hope is that I can share the LUV and help others understand how to navigate the great benefits of SW.  ... View more

That is so awesome! Each year during Shark Week I wish I could go back and be a marine biologist. They are such majestic creatures! ... View more

@TheMiddleSeat wrote: @DancingDavidE I can't wait until I can be on a flight with you  I'll be sure to bring a nice piping hot bowl of clam chowder and a side of freshly microwaved salmon. Just wait until I open that Tupperware container!   I hate morning flights, not just because I'm not a morning person, but because the smell of coffee or anything resembling an Egg McMuffin on a plane makes me want to empty my stomach. Bleh!   --TheMiddleSeat Maybe DEN-MDW-BWI? I'll bring the coffee.     ... View more

@gamemasterdls68,  I am sorry that this delay happened to you.  Having been a frequent traveler for work for decades, I have been frustrated with many different incidents and airlines.  I was very relieved when the Department of Transportation passed rules and penalties in 2010 which discouraged airlines from loading passengers on a plane and making them sit for 4-5 hours waiting for take-off because I had that happen to me more than once (but my two incidents were on other airlines).  It feels better to endure the delays in the terminal than on the tarmac.   As a tax geek, I have to point out that Mr. Kelly’s income level puts him in a tax bracket that means he is more likely to be audited by the IRS than the average person, and the 1998 IRS Restructuring and Reform Act Section 1203 protects taxpayers from acts of retaliation from IRS employees.   Air travel can be rough and it seems like you had one of those trips.  I hope future travels are smoother for you. ... View more

@Smhemstreet I agree with everything @rtbarron@CareforNOLA said, but remember that employees for SWA are human and sometimes make the wrong decision based off of mis-communication, lack of details, etc.  With that being said, I would contact Customer Relations and voice your concern. What do you have to lose?    Good luck!    ... View more

In short, you will not be able to use your travel funds for your boyfriend. The travel funds will apply to your reservation only. ... View more

EBCI = Early Bird Check In. It programs your boarding number to basically be after the a-listers.  Though you might not want to add the $15-30 cost for a quick trip lasting less than 24 hrs.  I am not sure if you can buy for the return trip only.   Like you, I also wish that I could get the return boarding pass at 24 hours but it won’t allow it until I complete the first leg of the trip.   ... View more

Awesome, thanks for sharing this promo @CareforNOLA!   ... View more

I tried it but the $100+ fare difference wasn’t worth it! I was flying from MDW to LGA with a connection in STL. Both flights from MDW had the same connection flight so I was wondering if I could take the late one to reduce my layover from 4 to 1 hours . I asked and it Didn’t work ! But it was fun trying  ... View more

I switch between lyft and southwest all the time when public transport is not available ! So exciting ... View more

Thank you for these tips.  My memories of Cincinnati involve the zoo and the Reds.  Perhaps the zoo is another spot that we touristas might want to visit.  Cincinnatizoo.org. It was built in 1875 and I am so old, i feel like I visited in the 1890’s but it might have been later than that.   ... View more