Southwest Airlines Community

Thank you for letting us know! I heard from some others that they were having check-in issues as well.   --Jessica ... View more

I will monitor this - I am taking a flight in a few days and I have an iPhone. I am on the latest IOS (13.3 currently). I didn't have an issue adding boarding passes to my wallet when I took a flight last month (in December).   I'll report back next week once my flight(s) are over 🙂    --Jessica ... View more

Southwest allows you to cancel your flight with no fees up to *10 minutes* prior to departure, so if there was bad weather that day, it's very possible a lot of people cancelled at the last minute - or the night before. That's the only reason I can explain the gap in numbers.    --Jessica ... View more

This is tough! I don't have any good suggestions, other than to a) try for Early Bird Checkin so you can potentially get in the A group (not guaranteed though), or b) see if there is upgrading boarding available where you can purchase a spot in A1 - A15 (if it's available). That would get you on the plane ahead of most others so you can get the seat(s) you want, even in the back,  and alleviate at least some of what you encountered on your trip.    --Jessica ... View more

This kind of thing is almost always the result of customers not understanding the terms and conditions of their credit card agreement. That is definitely the case with the OP. You can't open an account and then immediately assume you can use X amount of points for a free flight. That's not how it works. 😕 Read the terms and conditions - carefully!    --Jessica ... View more

Hello,   What was your flight route? Southwest can cancel flights for any number of reasons not related to weather. Specifically, flight routes have been terminated due to decreasing popularity combined with the shortage of planes due to the MAX 8 grounding. If your flight route is less popular, it's very possible your flight was cancelled for this reason. (But I can't say this with certainty without knowing more information about your route.)    --Jessica ... View more

Hello,   I don't think this is something any of us can advise you on, since this is a forum about Southwest and Southwest does not fly to the destinations you mentioned. Good luck on your travels 🙂    --Jessica ... View more

If Southwest only allows members of the military to board after the A group if they are in uniform, then I agree that this policy may need to be readdressed. I feel like a military ID is sufficient enough evidence that one is a member of the military and can board early. I am not sure if being in uniform should be a requirement for reasons stated previously (safety concerns, etc.). Of course, if the military member is already in the A group, then all of this a moot point.    --Jessica ... View more

^Very true, and to add to this:   On an iPhone, you can add your boarding pass to your Wallet. The passes will remain there indefinitely until you remove them. Once your flight is completed, the QR code will be inactive and you will see the message 'this pass has expired', but it's still there. I also have a habit of checking in and sending my boarding passes to me via text message, and I then open them and take a screen shot so they are available in my photos as well. Both of these options will allow you to 'retain' your boarding pass after the completion of your flight.    --Jessica ... View more

@Gstevenson wrote: Those loyal customers who rightly expect a VERY modest level of benefit associated with that loyalty (and the dollars we spend).   Any "loyal" customer who 'rightly expects' benefits or compensation isn't right, and isn't very loyal.    Southwest boards on a first come, first serve basis, and always has. We can talk about how a small minority 'abuses' the pre-boarding process until the cows come home, but at the end of the day it's a pretty insignificant matter as long as a) you get on the plane and b) find a seat.    If it truly bothers you, you can go to any other airline and pay for a specific seat - and pay much more overall in the process!    --Jessica ... View more

Curious: who is the airline that hates guitars? 😄    --Jessica ... View more

Southwest is very efficient on social media -- it's great to hear that they helped you out with your name change quickly!   Thanks,   Jessica ... View more

I'm sorry you had a bad experience, but I can't say that I can agree that Southwest Hotels (which actually goes through Booking.com for reservations) is horrible. I have used them almost exclusively for years to reserve hotel rooms and have never had an issue.   My most recent experience was just a few weeks ago -- my flight got significantly delayed and I didn't get to my hotel until almost 2AM (!!). My reservation was still in tact, although I did call ahead and explain that I would be running very late. When I arrived, I saw that the hotel lobby closed at 11PM (!!!), and I had to call an after-hours line and someone thankfully let me in and confirmed my reservation. (It was quite the ordeal lol. The next time I book evening flights I'll make sure I book hotels with a 24 hour lobby!)     With that said, I've never booked an "all inclusive package" using Southwest hotels. I've only ever booked a standard room at a standard hotel.    What hotel did you book through Southwest Hotels that claimed it was all inclusive? Where was this (location)? I'll have to research this, because in my experience Southwest has only ever offered rooms at your typical, everyday hotels -- inclusion packages is a new thing to me for Southwest to offer (but that doesn't mean they don't do it).    Also: hotel rates constantly change. When you book something at Price A, it's very possible the hotel will lower its price closer to the date of arrival. I just had this happen in fact with one of my reservations. A few weeks ago I booked a hotel on Southwest Hotels for $199, and I checked it today and the price dropped to $159. I always book rooms with no cancellation fees (and no prepayment if possible), and so I cancelled and rebooked at the lower rate. It happens ALL the time so I am always on the lookout for decreased prices so I can rebook at the cheaper rate.    --Jessica ... View more

I too find it unusual to have locks on your suitcases. I have nothing packed in my checked luggage that can't be easily replaced, so there's no reason for me to lock my suitcase.   When you see a locked suitcase, the first question on anyone's mind is probably: what's in there? TSA has every right to open it and inspect it (but they should replace the lock when they are done).    --Jessica ... View more

IOS 11 was released in 2017. To be on an even older release means that your device was made in 2016 or even earlier. It's now 2020, so your device is approaching 4+ years old at a minimum. Update your tech 🙂    --Jessica  ... View more

The Southwest web site says that for mobile devices and tablets, you need IOS 11 or above for the devices to work properly during a flight. Regarding the app, the app also requires IOS 11 or above, as stated in the App Store. Apps do need to be kept up to date because older versions of the app become less stable / unusable with later IOS upgrades that become released.    Assuming you are on at least IOS 11 and the app is up to date, you should be able to use it during your flight.    My guess is you are using an older IOS, and that is why you are having problems.    --Jessica ... View more

Congrats everyone!! That's one HUGE benefit of opening a SW credit card 😉    --Jessica ... View more

Southwest wasn't just targeting anyone with the "surprise" A-List status - according to the article you posted, Southwest gave a 6-month A-List status benefit to select Chase cardholders who a) opened an account in 2019 and b) used the promotion that awarded *Companion Pass* for the rest of 2019 if they met the spending requirements. It was a very limited promotion from my understanding, and for those who were able to earn it, they deserve A-List status for awhile.    Considering regular A-List requires 25 one way flights to obtain and you were *5* flights short (20% of what is required), the chance of Southwest giving you A-List out of the kindness of their hearts is zero. With that kind of logic, anyone can say, "Oh, I was just a little short of the requirements, but I deserve it because of XYZ!" No, no, that's not how it works.   --Jessica ... View more

Nonstop flights are becoming fewer and fewer thanks to the MAX 8 saga which has been going on almost a year now! Hopefully nonstops will be restored soon.   --Jessica ... View more

My guess is that they expired due 2 years of non-activity, but recently Southwest changed the rules on this so points will no longe expire.    --Jessica ... View more

"UPS failed to deliver."    This sounds like a problem with UPS, not Southwest. How did they fail to deliver? Was a signature required for delivery? If it was, were you not there when they attempted to deliver? If it was not, how did they fail to deliver your package?    Fun story: I had a family situation occur a few months ago, and I let mail pile up in my mailbox for about two weeks. In that time, a package was supposed to be delivered via USPS, but it was not. I didn't even think about it until a few weeks later when I thought: "Where is that item that I ordered?" When I traced the tracking information, on the day the package was supposed to arrive, USPS literally turned around and sent the package back to the original recipient, with the message: "“Return to Sender, Vacant”. They saw mail in my mailbox and assumed that a) no one was home or b) the property was unoccupied (?!) and sent the package back to the sender! Why they didn't just stuff the package in the mailbox is beyond me, but I had to contact customer service where I purchased my item and explain that yes, I really did live there, the address was not vacant, and to please re-send the package. They did, and I got it.   All of that to say, things happen. Customer service is your best bet to find these gift cards. Assuming the cards were sent back to Southwest or Amazon, they should have record of that and be able to re-deliver them. I'd be very interested to know why they were sent back though.    --Jessica ... View more

What? Southwest doesn't charge fees to cancel flights booked with points, or any flights for that matter. Your points should be refunded to your account balance, and I *believe* the money paid to taxes is given back to you in the form of reusable travel funds.   --Jessica ... View more

Story of my life! How would you like to be in my shoes, Southwest dropped Philly to Vegas (PHL to LAS) nonstops *a year ago*! My last nonstop was October 2018. It happens. Flight routes change. All you can hope for is that they will re-instate nonstops again, hopefully when the MAX 8 issues are behind us. (And it's not looking like that will be any time soon.)    --Jessica ... View more

^Yes, but you have a limited time to make the changes - typically, it's 72 hours from when they notify you. If you don't make the changes within the timeframe, then you keep your original - now modified - flights.   --Jessica ... View more

I fly to TUL at least once a year - I find it to be one of the more relaxing airports, since it's pretty small. I've never had a bad customer service situation there. Sorry you did!    --Jessica ... View more

I can't confirm wait times at BWI but at PHL it varies. I think the very late arrival time probably has something to do with the extra delay to get your bags - at least they got there!    --Jessica ... View more

They are in the middle of evaluating tier statuses right now, so it will take a little while for your updated status to show. Since your flight was on 12/31, I wouldn't be too worried - it should count.    --Jessica ... View more