Southwest Airlines Community

@teesa2you wrote: @spacecoastbill wrote: If you are only one person, why the need to save your seat?   If you are sitting in your seat, its no longer open. I just don't want to get up during the flight to use the restroom and come back to someone moving my things to the overhead and occupying my seat. That would be rude. Never seen that happen....... ... View more

If you are only one person, why the need to save your seat?   If you are sitting in your seat, its no longer open. ... View more

@chgoflyer wrote: Preboarding is reserved primarily for disabled passengers who require a specific seat onboard or assistance boarding the plane. It would be reat if that were only the case!   You also have to add the preboard fakers. ... View more

PHX-LAS and MCO have them all the time. ... View more

@Kirboe wrote: I’m booking a flight for my mom who travels with a small service animal.  I don’t see any option to add the animal on the web site.  Do I need to call reservations to add the animal? What documentation will she need on checking in? She has a badge from gov and the dog wears a vest. My friend said she may also need some documentation from her doctor.  Ive never heard of this. Is this true and if so does it need to be notarized? Thanks in advance.  Depends if it is a genuine service animal or an emptional support animal.   A true service animal= no paperwork required.   An ESA = As listed on the website you now need a letter from a doctor.  If she does not have one, they are available starting for anout $20 online.   ... View more

@Tombriggsjr wrote: As someone that flys every week on SW its getting very annoying to see those that are not preferred board early and then save seats for all their friends/family If you are not A preferred you should only be able to save seats after the first 6 or 8 rows SW- this needs to change this as those of us that fly a lot have earned the front rows   The answer is a simple one.   Ignore them and sit where you want. ... View more

@mrgm50 wrote: Thank You for finally cracking down on the ES pet. As in anything good people will take advantage of it until someone or company says thats enough. It's meant for people that realy need them not just because you want to ride with your pet. Thank you Not much of a crack down.  You can simply get online and get a letter for as little as $20.... no problem. ... View more

Well, you should have confirmed what is needed.  There are only 4 things required to be on the letter and it has to be less than a year old.  $20 online and you can easily get a new one.     Traveling with an Emotional Support Animal A Customer seeking to travel with an emotional support animal must satisfy all of the following requirements:  The emotional support animal must be either a dog or cat.  The Customer has only one emotional support animal.  The emotional support animal must be in a carrier that can be stowed under the seat in front of the Customer or on a leash at all times while in the airport and onboard the aircraft.  The Customer must provide to a Southwest Airlines Employee documentation (not more than one year old) on letterhead from a licensed mental health professional or medical doctor who is treating the Customer’s mental health-related disability. The letter must state all four items below: 1. The Passenger has a mental or emotional disability recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 2. The Passenger needs the emotional support animal as an accommodation for air travel and/or for activity at the Passenger’s destination 3. The individual providing the assessment is a licensed mental health professional or medical doctor, and the Passenger is under his or her professional care 4. The date and type of the mental health professional's or medical doctor’s license and the state or other jurisdiction in which it was issued Note: An animal that is not trained to behave in a public setting or engages in disruptive behavior may be denied boarding. ... View more

@LizaF wrote: Not everyone who is disabled is blind and has a white stick plus a seeing eye dog.  The Americans with Disability Act gives me the right to travel with my service dog even though I am  "invisibly" disabled.  I need my dog to hear and then alert me to ambulance sirens and police sirens when I am driving,  smoke detectors, CO2 detectors, cooking timers, tornado sirens, my doorbell, and my cellphone when it isn't on me.  My service dog has also alerted me to a large snake rustling in the grass a few yards from my feet and strangers walking suspiciously close behind me.   Go ahead and film me and my service dog. I have an invisible disability called severe hearing loss, but my eyes work fine. I can easily see a witch.  I will be filming you too.  Watch for your judgemental, evil behavior on twitter and youtube.  Its not service dogs people are taking exception to.  They are well trained and dont interfere with anyone.   Its the scam ESA pets that everyone is sick of.  Not trained, aggressive, bite, etc.  $20 online gets you the letter to force the airline to let you on with the dog thanks to the ACAA. ... View more

@beaner_46 wrote: Many of you are being judgmental. You are judging those of us with diabilities that aren't openly apparent to you and you don't even know us. I have severe PTSD, Major Depressive Disorder and Anxiety. I was prescribed an ESA for my PTSD. When I'm in close contact with large crowds of people (like at an airport or on an airplane), my PTSD affects me.    It's NOT EASY to get on a SW flight with an ESA. I had to show a letter on a letterhead from my doctor, stating that he prescribed it AND stating my diagnosis. SW doesn't play around with this like you think they do. Just because you don't know the details of getting an ESA doesn't mean there aren't any. The letter can't even be over a year old. And you canNOT get them online. You can order an ESA vest online, but not a letter from a doctor.    Stop assuming that because people don't have a physical disability that they don't need an ESA. And stop assuming that it's easy to prove your ESA is authentic to SW because it's definitely not. It's a legitimate process that weeds out people who are trying to bring pets onboard for free. SW is providing for people with legitimate disabilities or disorders, according to the law.    It's my personal opinion that ESAs are becoming more common because doctors are seeing the value and benefits that they provide to their patients. I've definitely noticed more ESAs around in general and that would explain why there are more of them on flights. Laws are being obeyed whether you personally like it or not.  ACA isnt the controlling regulation when flying with Service/ESA animals, the ACAA is.   You can most certianly get a letter online so you can get your pet on an airline or in an apartment.  RIght now, I just saw one going for $20.  Check a couple of boxes, and you got it. ... View more

@Catedi wrote: @spacecoastbill uses terms, such as:   "faking a medical condition", and "...cured mid air as 'miracle flights'. " , accusing the disabled pre-boarders of leaping from their seats, grabbing their overhead bags, and then running through the terminal, upon landing. Nice soundbites, spacecoastbill, but I've never seen such antics, as a nurse who frequently accompanies someone who needs preboarding. My question to you is, how could you possibly know someone's condition isn't legitimate? Is your jealousy so profound you disregard common empathy toward those less fortunate? WoW, is all I got...       If you want to pretend there are not many preboard fakers out there, or claim blindly you have never seen them, then thats up to you. The reality (as shown time and time again in these forums and others) is that people are faking it to get to preboard.   Those who run around the terminal only to return to the gate 10 minutes before boarding and sitting in a wheelchair, then bounding up from their seat at arrival and hefting their carry on down and sprinting through the terminal on the way out.   Even SWA has a term for these... "miracle flights" for those healed in mid air.   These are not soundbites, these are facts.  Yes, I have witnessed it myself and so have others on this and other forums.     ... View more

@wordsmith1313 wrote: With an EB pass, you'll still almost certainly get a prime seat, because there aren't that many people saving singles. (And that jerk with the 8 seats saved is an aberration, thank goodness!) Insisting on taking a seat anyway, as Spacecoast Bill adamantly does every time he flies, really does make for an unfriendly, uncomfortable flight -- the exact opposite of what most of us SWA devotees love. Safe travels, and I wish you all the best! Since you decided to call me out, I will explain it to you yet again.    If you are going to be cheap, cheat the system, be inconsiderate and save a seat that is in a bulkhead, near the front, or in an exit row then yes, you can expect to find someone to not just give in to your rudeness and arrogance.   SWA devotees are also sick of those faking the need to preboard, and those who try to game the system to get perks they clearly dont deserve.   So if you are going to call me out for sitting in a seat that is allowed by SWA, have at it. ... View more

If it were one or two that did not appear to meed to pre board, that may be one thing.... but we are talking many, many more especially in LAS, MCO, ISP, JFK, LGA, PHX...... ... View more

@DancingDavidE wrote: @spacecoastbill wrote: Im pretty sure its an airline requirement, not an FAA one.  The FAA does not care how much you carry on, only that it meets size requirements. Southwest is responsible to implement the rule..   Thiis website isn’t direct from the FAA, but it is what I’ve heard elsewhere.   https://www.luggagepros.com/travel/carry-on.shtml         I didnt see that in the FARs and the FAA webpage says its up to the carrier...   https://www.faa.gov/travelers/prepare_fly/baggage/ ... View more

If you had three items (even if one of them is 3" by 6" I suppose) then it has to be condensed down to two items per FAA rules.   But Southwest prides itself on customer service and this sounds like it was not the "Southwest Way" to notify a passenger of the need to consolidate their items. I'm sure this was an aberration in terms of how this would be handled in the future.     Im pretty sure its an airline requirement, not an FAA one.  The FAA does not care how much you carry on, only that it meets size requirements. ... View more

@bwallet wrote: @spacecoastbill wrote:   You just gave a textbook definition for the disruption of the boarding process.  Equating passing you to get to an open seat to an assault isnt going to meet the standard. If the FA is called, or notices, they typically state that there is no one in the seat, and the person can sit there.  Causing any kind of disruption can cause you to be removed from a flight. The clue is if you want to try to save a seat, do it in the rear of the aircraft.  Typically those seats fill last. Is it a HUGE deal?  Well, apparently that has some merit.  How many endless times has it been posted here and other online forums?...... Thats probably an indication that it is a problem. Passing me isn’t assault. My legs touch the seat in front of me, and forcing your way past me would be assault. I’m just sitting there.    A FA would tell them that there isn’t a policy concerning seat saving and shrug.    Just because a few people on here lose perspective doesn’t make it a big deal. I can agree that if someone saved multiple rows, it would be ridiculous, and I’d probably just sit down. However, I’ve been flying pretty much weekly round trips since June, and I have never seen that. I saved a seat for my wife and my 6 year old daughter. Oh, and this was in the first four rows on all four flights. If someone thinks that that is a problem, they should consider finding a hobby.  No, you may think thats assault, but it clearly not.  Im more knowledgeabe on it than you are.   However if you blocked seat access and the aisle is now blocked, the FA would absoluteky let you know tat the seata are open and anyone may sit there.   Thats their policy, and ive seen it enforced that way as it should be.   And no, they dont need a hobby, they are in the right. ... View more

@bwallet wrote: Is it really that big of a problem? I fly pretty much every week on Southwest, and I occasionally encounter someone saving a seat or two. I’ve never seen someone save multiple rows. I just don’t see the big deal.    And, horror of horrors, I did it myself in December. I flew with my wife and 6 year old daughter to Legoland in Florida for Christmas. I boarded around A18 (+/-2) on 4 flights, and I saved 2 seats for them. Heck, since I had status, I didn’t even pay an extra penny! Hey, I’m evil, I guess.    As for ignoring me, what could someone do? Ask again? “I’m sorry, but my wife and 6 year old daughter are sitting there.” Tell me that it is “open seating”? “You can sit in any available seat, but these seats are not available.” Sit anyway? Not without pushing past me and committing assault. Seriously, is this really the HUGE deal some people make it out to be? You just gave a textbook definition for the disruption of the boarding process.  Equating passing you to get to an open seat to an assault isnt going to meet the standard.   If the FA is called, or notices, they typically state that there is no one in the seat, and the person can sit there.  Causing any kind of disruption can cause you to be removed from a flight.   The clue is if you want to try to save a seat, do it in the rear of the aircraft.  Typically those seats fill last.   Is it a HUGE deal?  Well, apparently that has some merit.  How many endless times has it been posted here and other online forums?...... Thats probably an indication that it is a problem. ... View more

@wordsmith1313 wrote: Hi, Joyce. That is frustrating -- saving eight seats is ridiculous. And many people definitely noticed the higher EB fee, for sure.   For the sake of our positive community, though, I hope you will limit your anger to people trying to save multiple seats, and not single-seat folks. Many of us A-List and A-List Preferred fliers also have Companion Passes, so we save one seat for our companions. With an EB pass, you'll still almost certainly get a prime seat, because there aren't that many people saving singles. (And that jerk with the 8 seats saved is an aberration, thank goodness!) Insisting on taking a seat anyway, as Spacecoast Bill adamantly does every time he flies, really does make for an unfriendly, uncomfortable flight -- the exact opposite of what most of us SWA devotees love. Safe travels, and I wish you all the best! Its not an uncomfortable flight for me if someone else chooses to be a rude and inconsiderate person.  People saving seats happens multiple times, so it is definitely not a one time thing.  This forum alone has several examples of just that happening.     If you attempt to save a single center seat a few rows back and not in a bulkhead or exit row, nobody would probably mind.   But the self entitled people who try to save those seats, seats near the front, or multiple seats are the ones being inconsiderate and should expect someone to take exception to their rudeness. ... View more

@JoyceB wrote: I pay the Early Bird price and have A Group Boarding Pass, but row after row, I am pushed back because of Seat Saving for people in C Group, that didn't pay for Early Bird.  I may have let seat saving slide before, but then the price of Early Bird was $10 or $12.50 each way.. Now that the price has increased to $25 EACH WAY, I will no longer continue to be pushed back to the middle or back of the plane because of seat saving. I intend to sit in their Saved seat and they can just deal with it. I thought "My" final straw was on the last flight, where a guy was saving 8 seats for his C Group family.. But NO, "My New Final Straw" is that Southwest now charges $25 EACH WAY for Early Bird.   My new stance on this is.. if Early Bird person is Saving seats for others that didn't pay for Early Bird.. those people are actually Stealing that seat, and Stealing my hard earned money, from ME. There is no longer any other way to look at it.   Since Early Bird is now the same price as a luggage charge on most other airlines, I may change to those airlines, and have at least, a Reserved Seat.       Ignore the seat savers.  If you want to sit there and there is not a person sitting there.... go ahead and do it.  Let them try to complain to a FA. ... View more

@mrsstats wrote: To get a handicap parking sticker you need proof from a doctor of a disability.  I don't understand while the same requirements cant be used for the airlines.   The Air Carrier Access Act   https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/passengers-disabilities ... View more