Southwest Airlines Community

The only "ID" for the child you will need while dropping off is proof of the child's age, like a birth certificate.   Dropping off Arrive at the airport early. Review our suggested airport arrival times. Be sure to allow enough time to park the car, go through security, and check in at the gate. Stop at the Southwest Airlines ticket counter if you wish to obtain an escort pass, which is required to accompany the child through the security checkpoint. Be sure to have the following documents to complete the check-in process: A copy of the child’s itinerary Proof of the child’s age (birth certificate, etc.) Your valid, government-issued ID (required to get an escort pass) It is recommended that you stay in the gate area until the YT’s flight is in the air. Call the parent/guardian picking up the YT to let them know that the flight has departed.   --Jessica ... View more

@gsking wrote: Perhaps the back of the plane will be the new "maskless" section,  like the smoking section used to be.   I'll happily go back there.   Then only the front of the plane would have people getting nagged for taking their mask off too long to drink.       Ha! Can you even imagine if something like this were to happen. The vaccine passports scare me enough, though. Any time you start going down a path of segregation, no matter the reason(s), you should be concerned.   I'm a member of a cruise forum - I went on a cruise last year just before you-know-what hit the fan - and I debated going on the same cruise again this year which is currently set to sail in November (pushed back from January). Norwegian just made the decision that all crew and passengers must be vaccinated in order to sail, and people are proudly posting that they are vaccinated or will be soon and "can't wait" to cruise with "other vaccinated people."    ... these reactions are just plain scary to me. People are already getting the idea that vaccinated people are somehow "safer" to be around than non-vaccinated people, and to me that's wrong. Two years ago we wouldn't have given two **** about who was vaccinated with what. And the irony about cruising is that it's inevitable that some people get sick on the boat no matter what, with general sea sickness or some call it "boat crud" 😁  And honestly, to me that is worse than what COVID-19 will do to you, but there's no vaccine or mass hysteria over that ... there is dramamine, though 😉   --Jessica ... View more

Huh, I didn't realize that printable boarding passes at home were still a thing, but it makes sense. I remember the days when Southwest sent you tickets in the mail ... 😉    --Jessica ... View more

As with most things there are pros and cons to using an app vs the full desktop site. The full site tends to have more complex functionality, advanced features, etc., that are more difficult to put into an app or mobile version of the site. I tend to use the desktop site more often just so I have access to "everything".    --Jessica ... View more

@SWFlyer007 wrote: But I always fly SWA anyway Yep! I can't even think of the last time I flew United. I think I did once, years ago, before I realized Southwest's awesomeness 😉    --Jessica ... View more

As far as I know, there is currently no way to do this, but it's possible Southwest will implement this feature in a future update.    --Jessica ... View more

@TheMiddleSeat wrote: Are you saying it's better to fly Southwest because they aren't doing what United is doing, making an effort to hire a diverse workforce?  I think Southwest would argue that they too strive to have diverse employees so then where does that put you? https://careers.southwestair.com/diversity   Perhaps diversity does not factor into your purchasing decisions, but I'm glad to see companies hire people from all backgrounds and am glad when people who traditionally have less of a role in a particular industry get involved in that industry.  It may not change purchasing decisions, but it does change humanity and our society overall for the better.   --TheMiddleSeat There's nothing wrong with diversity when you are diverse for the right reasons. United seems to be trying too hard to show their "diversity" by purposely pointing out that they are hiring people with "no flying experience" and hiring women / people of color. Why does it matter? Why does it even need to be said that that's what they're doing? It shouldn't matter if a pilot is a woman or black or white or anything else. What matters is their flying experience as a pilot, not their gender or skin color.   --Jessica  ... View more

It entirely depends. Sometimes people like to "save" seats for their spouse/friend/etc. You are allowed to say no, of course, but people can be pushy about it sometimes, and you have to choose your battles wisely.   --Jessica ... View more

Math. It's not for everyone. 😉    And purchasing points isn't always a "rip off". I've purchased points a couple of times when I've only needed a small amount to pay for a flight with points. For me, it's been worth it!   --Jessica ... View more

For Business Select don't you have Priority boarding in A1-A15 anyway? This seems like a first world problem to me. Southwest can't help it if you only have a 30 minute connection and you miss boarding with the As, for example. I always use the Wanna Get Away fares and it's *rare* that I sit beyond the 10th row, even if I when I board in the late Bs or even the C group.    --Jessica  ... View more

People just wear your mask ...   But that aside, I am not sure how one can "dance" very well on an airplane. 😂 I guess it's possible. But people dancing and cheering and carrying on like this when people get kicked off flights really aren't helping things. People have forgotten what "respect" is. Learn it. Be the better person.    --Jessica ... View more

@IslandGirl wrote: To answer my own question and for anybody's use....the rapid at-home Covid test we used was accepted by Southwest and was a breeze to administer and get through the airport with. No Dr. appt or expensive test required!  We travel to Mexico once or twice a month, we will be using the at-home test from now on!    That's good to know! I didn't realize at home tests were becoming more popular. Where did you purchase your test?    --Jessica ... View more

@chgoflyer wrote: @scha0984 wrote: Where is any of this extension information posted online?  I haven't seen this $100 and seems that some know it and some don't or they decide to not share it.    Nothing is posted online. This unofficial policy is a special goodwill accommodation that may be granted by Customer Relations when upon request. Previous to the pandemic, knowledge of the policy was relatively rare. Phone reps may or may not advise customers of this potential option, and many don't mention the fee. That fee has risen from $50 to $75 to $100 per travel fund/person over the years, and everything about this -- including that fee -- is subject to change at any time.   Officially, once your funds are expired, they're gone. I may finally be in this boat with expiring travel funds I may not be able to use. I had a flight booked for May, but due to flight cuts I canceled the flight out of frustration only to find out that the funds were expiring in June 2021 because I had applied a previous travel fund (from all the way back in June 2020) to the reservation. I believe this fund had an expiration of September 2022 at one point, but when you use it (and then cancel it) the 2022 expiration doesn't hold and it reverts back to the original expiration. There could be a potential argument to be made that any fund that was granted an expiration of 2022 should keep the 2022 expiration if it is used and cancelled again, but that doesn't seem to be the case.   Regardless, if I can extend the travel fund by reissuing it as a voucher, I would do that, even at a $100 loss. I'll have to see what I can do.    --Jessica ... View more

I keep asking this about PHL > LAS 😉    In my dreams, PHL > TUL ... I'd practically lose a limb to fly direct to Tulsa, but those options disappeared long ago 🤣 and right now I'd be happy just to fly there with multiple stops, but SWA keeps eliminating flights there. Oh the hoops I have to jump through ...   --Jessica ... View more

I find it hard to believe that an airline's rewards program could cause you "horrendous" personal problems, but I digress... the worst thing that could possibly happen is that your points got stolen. What's worse than that? But even then, I am not sure how that would cause you personal problems. It would just be an incredible inconvenience.    --Jessica ... View more

@Firebiscuit wrote: Several of the passengers waiting until they removed the remains of a fallen service member from the plane and I sat it down in a seat.  Seems like an odd thing to mention. Are you saying there was a dead passenger's remains on your flight? Like an urn? 😲   Anyway, filing a claim was the right thing to do. I am sure Southwest deals with lots of "forgotten" items every single day. It might take a few days or weeks for them to reunite your iPad with you.    --Jessica ... View more

Flying anywhere is up to anyone's discretion, even during a pandemic - if you feel comfortable, you can fly. Generally, Southwest does not offer refunds on Wanna Get Away fares unless Southwest cancels (and does not rebook) your flight, but since you cancelled your flight yourself, you have travel funds which - if you cancelled last March - September -  should be good until September 2022. In my opinion, that's plenty of time to use your funds.    --Jessica ... View more

@DancingDavidE wrote: Here’s a new thought as well - those with a passport, even if it is not required, would be able to forgo masking or distancing restrictions.  https://fortune.com/2021/04/01/its-official-vaccinated-people-dont-transmit-covid-19/    Now it is a huge mess for flight attendants to figure out who has one and who doesn’t, can they be forged, etc...so the restrictions for masking and distancing probably have to stay until the risk is reduced enough for everyone to participate. I read this too, but I'm not sure if I agree that vaccinated people "don't transmit COVID-19." Just because you are vaccinated doesn't mean you can't contract or spread COVID. You can certainly still get COVID even after you are vaccinated, just as you can still get the flu after you get the flu vaccine. Also this part:   Taken together, this means vaccinated people are highly unlikely to transmit the virus when they are not suffering symptoms.   This has always true even before the vaccine came into being. People seem to think that asymptomatic spread is how people are getting COVID-19, but there's never been any solid evidence that this is true. Most people get sick because someone has obvious symptoms signaling they are sick that are then passed along to another person - coughing, wiping their nose/eyes, whatever it is. If you don't have any symptoms, it's *highly* unlikely that you are giving any kind of disease to anyone else.    The article was even amended to say:   Since CDC Director Rochelle Walensky made the comments discussed below, scientists have pushed back against the idea that vaccinated people “don’t carry the virus.” The disagreement seems to hinge in part on an important distinction not entirely spelled out in Walensky’s comments. Vaccinated people can still be infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus and suffer the symptoms of COVID-19, though this happens at a much reduced rate and severity, and vaccination eliminates the risk of death.   The whole point of getting any vaccine is that it lessens your risk of contracting serious complications of whatever disease you are being vaccinated against. You can still get the disease, you will just have a stronger ability to overcome it if you are vaccinated vs if you aren't.    --Jessica ... View more

@chgoflyer wrote: Ultimately though, Trump's initial stalling, constant denial of the severity of the pandemic, CDC meddling, and repeated spread of misinformation caused significant damage to the US, and led to additional deaths that could have been avoided. I don't blame Trump for "excess deaths" nearly as much as I blame governors at the state level and their reckless actions regarding how they handled COVID positive patients in  nursing homes and other facilities at the start of the pandemic. All you have to do is look at governor Cuomo of New York, but my state (PA) and several others are in the exact same boat. The reality is that nearly half of all deaths in the entire United States to date (and it's probably more than that) are directly linked to nursing homes and elderly facilities. If we're going to point fingers about something or someone leading to additional deaths that could have been avoided, the nursing home scandals in multiple states (particularly NY) should be your first and only stop. If only the nursing homes and elderly facilities were properly protected in the beginning - instead of pivoting and destroying our *entire* economic infrastructure by closing all essential and non-essential business - our "death count" would literally be cut in half. Trump doesn't deserve the blame for this. He wanted to open the economy back up last Easter. He was right. We never should have let all of this go on for as long as it has. We're causing a lot more harm with continual shut downs and keeping businesses performing at normal levels than we are helping under the guise that we are "saving lives."     --Jessica ... View more

It's been awhile since I've used Southwest Vacations to book a trip, but if you are saying you have enough travel funds to cover the entirety of your trip, you should not need to enter a credit card. If you have some travel funds to use but not enough to cover the whole trip, you should be able to enter both your travel funds and a credit card to cover the remaining balance.   --Jessica ... View more

Are the rapid tests not as accurate as the swab tests that take day(s) to get results? Genuine question. I'm not really sure what the difference is between the two as far as what kind of test it is.    --Jessica ... View more

This sounds like spam, but in the miniscule chance that it is not, you can look at open Southwest positions at https://careers.southwestair.com/    --Jessica ... View more

This tends to happen often - for many promotions, in order to actually get the offer you need to do XYZ in a certain amount of time. For example, spend $3,000 in 3 months. If you don't do this, you won't get the bonus points. Many people unfortunately do not realize the terms of the offer and don't meet them, and they don't get the points.    Always read the fine print! Multiple times! That way you know what you are signing up for and know what you have to do to get the offer.    --Jessica ... View more

I book hotels almost exclusively through Southwest so I can get the RR points - I've gotten as much as 8,000 points for a 3 night stay once! In my experience it can take up to 8 weeks for them to post, and there aren't really any workarounds for that except for waiting for them to post to your account.   --Jessica ... View more

Unfortunately, flights are changing constantly due to the ongoing pandemic and flight demands. It isn't just Hawaii, but flights all over the Southwest route map. Most of the time you should get an e-mail regarding any flight changes Southwest makes, but there are times this doesn't happen so it's recommended to keep an eye on your flights well in advance of your takeoff in case any changes arise. If they do, you should be able to make changes free of charge for a period of time, and if you have trouble, Southwest should be able to assist you in making changes. Contacting them via Social Media (not phone) is best, as they are often quicker to respond.   --Jessica ... View more

@chgoflyer wrote: Vaccines save lives.   If we would have had actual national leadership at the start of the pandemic, and if people would have thought about others as much as they do themselves, and acted appropriately, the US would be back to normal by now.   We had more national leadership last year than anyone cares to admit - people just refuse to acknowledge it because it gives credit to President Trump. The entire world scoffed at President Trump when he said that a COVID-19 vaccine would be available in less than a year, because vaccines typically take years to develop. No one - NO ONE - said that it was possible. Even Fauci wasn't convinced and said that it would take well over a year to have an approved vaccine. The news outlets said it would take a miracle. Well, a miracle occurred. Trump and his team got a vaccine developed in about 9 months. Like him or hate him, Trump along with all of those involved in Operation Warp Speed made the vaccine happen, and he is the sole reason why we are able to have the vaccine now and why we are able to get back to normal now - instead of years from now. If anyone else was in charge, we wouldn't have had a vaccine this soon - that's all but guaranteed.    --Jessica ... View more