Southwest Airlines Community

@Phrinces As mentioned above you will need to contact Southwest for assistance.   --TheMiddleSeat ... View more

@ ffflyer   I could not agree more! I have delayed all absolutely unnecessary travel for now. Not because of any fear, but because of all the inconvenience and BS.   Funny, in the weeks following the whole country shut down, and it wasn't until it started opening back up, I was flying (HOU/DTW, DTW/BOS, & BOS/HOU, numerous segments), and none of us were wearing masks, not the few passengers OR the crew.   All about making the sheep and cattle feel all fuzzy and warm, just like the whole TSA thing! I have issues with wearing a mask but I am tolerating it for the moment, and I have my own personal feelings about the whole Covid 19 BS, but I don't want to get that battle raging here.   Unfortunately, most of my trips to drive would require days v. hours to fly. Shorter ones, around Texas or to New Orleans, I too am driving.   Safe travels, my friend. ... View more

I was told that it could not be done at a self-check kiosk but an agent at the desk would take care of it and put the pink TRANSFER tag on the bags.       ... View more

Hi @DaveW. Customers who take advantage of our EarlyBird option are automatically assigned a boarding position 36 hours prior to their flight's scheduled departure time. We reserve the best boarding pass numbers available after our Business Select Customers' and Rapid Rewards A-List Members' boarding passes are assigned. Since the number of these types of Customers will vary on each flight, the boarding group number of Customers with the EarlyBird option will also vary. Therefore, EarlyBird Customers are not guaranteed to receive an "A" boarding pass.   We have not considered closing purchase after the A Group, and many Customers are happy to be in the B Group, especially since they can often still secure seats together. The reasons Customers purchase EarlyBird also vary. For example, some People do not want to wake up 24 hours prior to their 5:30 a.m. flight to secure a good boarding position.    Nevertheless, we regret if you were not happy with your boarding position, and your concerns have been taken to heart. As a peer-to-peer support forum, we aren't equipped to document your suggestion, but we encourage you to reach out via the options in the link below. Thank you!   Submitting a Suggestion and/or Complaint ... View more

@jquebby wrote: I purchased my ticket January 12, 2020 for travel January 14th.  I also purchased EBCI.  I was able to use it for my outbound flight but not for my inbound flight because I ended up changing my travel to leave one day earlier. Because the EBCI is non-refundable, Southwest is unwilling to give me a refund.  I have already taken to Twitter to express my displeasure about this and will never again waste my money for this product.  I will simply wait ask at the boarding gate when I arrive if there are any more A zone slots available.  I would rather pay $50 for that than waste the $25 for EB and get nothing.   The closer to 36 hours pre flight time you get, the worse the value of your EBCI. Why - because EBCI positions are allocated based on when they are purchased. If bought within 24 hours of flight time it is worthless.   'As far as EBCI refundability  goes, you yourself said "Because the EBCI is non-refundable, Southwest is unwilling to give me a refund." so you seem to understand that it is nonrefundable.   You do know what nonrefundable means -- don't you? You may not like it, but that is the rule. ... View more

Possibly true but probably not. Preboarders and families would also board ahead of them. ... View more

I had a flight booked from FLL to PVD with one stop that left FLL at 6:00 PM. The departure time was changed to 5:40. That opened the door for me to book a nonstop on the same day at 10:50 am FOR 4,000 FEWER POINTS!  Thanks, Southwest! ... View more

@Shellbell_76377 wrote: Customer relations doesn't help so don't bother. All they seem to say is sorry. It's the worst customer service I have ever encountered.  What do you expect customer relations to tell you? If the airline does not prohibit seat saving, people will save seats. ... View more

As others have said, Early Bird 'checks' you in 36 hours in advance in order to give you a better boarding position, but you still have to check in yourself to obtain said boarding pass and board the flight. The great benefit is, it doesn't matter if you check in 24 hours ahead or a few hours ahead, as your boarding pass is already assigned to you. You just have to check in and print / download (etc) it.    --Jessica ... View more

My wife has arthritic knees and must get up and walk up and down the aisle several timed during each flight. Thus, she needs an aisle seat at the front or back of the plane. To quote Southwest's rule:    [She has] a specific seating need to accommodate [her] disability . We get EBCI as a matter of course as it is worth it to me to not have to watch the clock to check in. Even getting B-20s boarding positions we have never had a situation where we have not gotten the seat arrangement she needs. We could probably get early boarding based on her seating need, but it really isn't necessary. If only some of the people who use early boarding would think "is this really necessary or is there another way to get the seat I need" it could reduce the number of preboarders and the stigma that is attached to them throughout these forums. ... View more

The FlightRadar24 app lets you track a particular flight in terms of the aircraft, flight number and the ininerary. I start using it on the day before I fly and I can see where my aircraft has been, where it is going, and whether it is going to be on-time. I like to take early flights and I can double-check with this app to make sure the plane has arrived at the airport the night before and will be ready to go early the next morning. ... View more

There is also a baggage check serving multiple airlines on the B side at the front of the rental car return area on the first floor of the parking garage. After you drop off your car, walk toward the terminal. The bag check desk is located a few steps to the right of the Alamo check-in booth in the garage. Check your bags, cross the road and you are in the terminal. If you want to use it, you should check your bags at least 90 minutes before the flight.    There may also be one on the A side, but I have not been there. ... View more

We have always done family boarding even flying out of Orlando where there are usually a lot of families. With 4 of us (one being a lap child) we have always been able to sit together usually around the wings but never all the way to the back! We’ve done this on multiple flights (out of SDF, RDU, BWI, IND, CVG, MCO, ELP, and DAL) and never had an issue! I only ever buy early bird if I’m on work travel and going to be tied up at check-in time. I also have used the upgraded boarding position option at the gate mostly because of the perks that come with the RR credit card for this! ... View more

I was logged into my account. I believe it was a firewall issue from my company workstation. I signed on via my phone and made the reservation with no problem and got the additional bonus points or will after completion of my stay on Thursday evening.   Thanks!   ... View more