Southwest Airlines Community

The transmission of virus on flights...well that's a whole thread unto itself. I'm sure the chances are > 0, but less likely overall than many other enclosed spaces might present.    But anyway, regarding the mandates everyone is missing one of the points that the mandate is meant to prevent the spread overall. An infected or contagious traveler - even if they don't cause anyone else on the plane to become ill, would still be bringing the virus to wherever they travel and presumably more favorable conditions once the passenger left the plane.    So for the sake of argument that risk of transmission on a flight is lower (I think it is, we talked about that already), and is obviously higher in other environments, then the mandate still has the effect of lessening overall rate of spread wherever the travelers are going. If one city is a hotspot and only vaccinated passengers fly from that hotspot, that would slow the spread overall between regions.    It's hard to say though, people move around through many other methods as well, I'm not sure about travel restrictions really doing too much other than slowing things down a little.             ... View more

@10kd wrote: where did you see 100,000 to requalify for CP this year?  Your link indicates 125,000 points to get CP. The post containing the link was made in 2021 not 2022.   In 2021 gave everyone 25,000 CP bonus points. The net effect was that customers needed to earn 100,000 more to qualify..     ... View more

You don't need proof of vax or a negative test to fly anywhere within the continental United States, so as long as you are feeling well you should be fine! Of course, if you are unwell, have symptoms, or test positive, I would recommend postponing your trip.   --Jessica ... View more

You sure can, I recently did this myself with a few travel funds I have, but a note of caution that *if* you apply travel funds and then cancel your flight, your resulting travel funds will be given the expiration date of the earliest travel funds that you applied to your reservation.   So, let's say you book a flight on January 1, 2022. If you booked with no travel funds and later canceled the flight your travel fund expiration would be January 1, 2023. But let's say you had a travel fund that was expiring on May 1, 2022 that you wanted to use up. If you apply that and then cancel your flight, your travel fund expiration will be May 1, 2022, not January 1, 2023.   Southwest explains this, and more Travel Fund FAQ, on this page: https://www.southwest.com/faq/travel-funds    --Jessica ... View more

Nine here!! ... View more

This exact thing had just happened to me. I have checked the confirmation number on Southwest’s website and it’s legitimate.   I also live in the UK and am not likely to be doing a return trip between Oklahoma City and Nashville….. ... View more

I understand that people are new to SWA point system every year, but we do see this question every single year and it's too hard to go back to a year ago and cut and paste.  There are all good answers on here, BUT, all are also subject to when the route you chose wants to post points.  I've stayed at hotels and didn't get my SW points from them for months, while others were within a week.  So that is hit or miss.  Same with dining, usually weeks, and shopping can take up to weeks as well.   At this point, depending on your billing cycle of the credit card, that may have passed and any points you get won't be posted until Jan.  I tried to reach the AList preferred.  At the start of Dec I needed less than 10,000 points and spent and spent on the credit card, but it wasn't enough and I fell short, even though I got 14K points from the credit card this month, not enough AList preferred points.  So I look at it as a lesson learned, maybe other than spending for premium hotels for the next week, in which you would be staying every night, you might just chalk it up to a learning experience.     ... View more

@jodjtm22 wrote: Hi community. I received a notice stating that a solution was selected for the topic that I wrote. Can someone help me understand how a solution was selected that I did not select?   Anyone reading a post can mark the post as a solution -- ANYONE.   I was hoping to receive objective information, backed by written policy and or procedure in response to my questions (below), however, I received subjective responses, relative ideological responses., etc. Can someone  provide an objective response to my question in this community?   How is the FA to know that you are an old pro that knows everything there is to know? The FA is given the duty of making sure that exit row occupiers know exactly what to do in the event a plane goes down and people have to get off the thing.   Failure to do so can result in deaths. You don;t need a policy to understand that -- just a bit of common sense ... View more

Make the changes if your objective is to see a friend, everything else is just static along the way. If I understand correctly you'll end up with 3 flights instead of 2, that ultimately is a benefit for A list status anyway  ... View more

Here are the Southwest Gift Card Terms and Conditions:    https://www.southwest.com/html/air/products/gift-card-terms-and-conditions.html    Some key points (see what I did there ;)) --    A Southwest gift card can be used for Passenger travel only on Southwest Airlines, excluding Southwest Airlines group tickets. A Southwest gift card may only be redeemed at southwest.com, on the Southwest Airlines Mobile Apps and Mobile Website (only for initial flight booking), by calling Southwest Airlines at 1-800-435-9792 (1-800 I FLY SWA), or at Southwest Airlines ticket counter locations. A Southwest gift card is not valid for the purchase of Southwest Airlines Vacation Packages, cargo, hotel, rental car, Southwest Airlines merchandise, Southwest Airlines group tickets, EarlyBird Check-In, oversized and excess baggage fees, upgraded boarding at the airport, Pet Fare, unaccompanied minor service charge, additional Southwest gift cards, or inflight purchases. Sales tax, security fees, and passenger facilities charges may be paid for with a Southwest gift card.   Ironically, bullet #3 does not say anything about purchasing points, however, bullet #1 says that gift cards can only be used for passenger travel, so it would seem that gift cards cannot be used to purchase points.   --Jessica ... View more

You shouldn't have any problems once you're in the US, but Canada has its own set of requirements to re-enter the country. According to Canada's travel page, it sounds like you need to be vaxxed to be exempt from testing or if you are unvaxxed there is a whole other set of procedures to follow including testing negative and even quarantine to re-enter Canada:    https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/covid-vaccinated-travellers-entering-canada   Unvaccinated - Entering Canada by air or at a land border crossing Meet these requirements if you are eligible to enter Canada, and do not qualify for the fully vaccinated traveller exemption, or other special exemptions for your situation.  Find out if you can enter Canada  Assess your quarantine plan before you travel  Get your pre-entry molecular test result  Register in advance for your arrival test  Use ArriveCAN to submit your travel and quarantine plans  Have your ArriveCAN receipt, test results, and quarantine plans ready for assessment by a Border Services Officer Medical conditions that prevent you from being vaccinated Unvaccinated travellers over the age of 12 are not required to quarantine upon entering Canada if they meet the following conditions: have a medical contraindication for getting a COVID-19 vaccine, and comply with the public health measures outlined in the handout provided to them at the border --Jessica ... View more

I found an interesting new data point. As stated in the article, the new fare will be slotted between WGA and Anytime, and it would not take anything away from any other fare class. Apparently, Southwest also says that they will be increasing the benefits tied to BS, Anytime, and WGA fares. Okay, now I'm truly stumped. If they had said "enhancing", I'd jokingly say that it was a euphemism, but the word used was "increasing". ... View more

ID is no longer required when the child is obviously under 2 years of age.  Check-in can be done at the kiosk and you no longer have to talk to an agent for a lap child check-in.   --TheMiddleSeat ... View more

Agree! There are many ways to earn points - hotels, dining, and even taking surveys are all options - don't give up if you are a little short!   --Jessica ... View more

Summarizing:   Likely only curbside check in closed. You will probably have the option to tag the bag yourself, but you will hand it to someone at the baggage desk. If you need assistance, you can go thru that line/option as well. More here on baggage check hours. If you have one ticket for the whole trip, you bag will be tagged at check in to your final destination, and you will not have to pick it up in MDW...as was shared below. Happy flying! ... View more

Haven't heard anything about MAX 7s since there has been so much focus on the MAX 8 these past few years.    I did find this from June 2021:    https://www.flightglobal.com/fleets/united-views-737-max-7s-as-potential-737-700-replacements/144377.article    The 737 Max 7 remains in flight testing, with Boeing aiming to begin delivering the type in 2022. The company operated the first Max 10 flight on 18 June and aims to hand over the first of that type in 2023. The Max 8 and Max 9 are in service.   --Jessica ... View more

I hate to be the one to tell you, but you are showing your lack of information quite boldly.   First, it is not "HIPPA", it is "HIPAA".  And, Southwest is not a healthcare provider so they have no "protected health information" or PHI in their records.   So, my advice is to read a few articles and brush up on what you are talking about.   For myself, I enjoy the preboarding.  It is a nice policy. ... View more

A lot of us need to preboard.  Thank you for understanding. ... View more

I always preboard.  That's so nice the way Southwest does it. ... View more

I am flying from Puerto Rico (US Territory) to Florida, does the COVID 24 hour test apply? ... View more

You did just cost yourself -904 points.   Much preferred to costing 904 points.   😃     ... View more

Thank you for sharing about your experience on Southwest Airlines. It is appalling to me to hear about the way you were treated on the plane and within the airport. I highly urge you to contact Customer Service to seek a formal remedy for your concerns, as this is not in any way consistent with the Southwest promise.   Open-seating does have its benefits - however, there are drawbacks. If you choose to travel with Southwest again, an earlier boarding position can help reduce the possibility of finding seats in an already boarded plane. The first solution would be to check-in earlier, perhaps 24-hours on the dot before your flight. If this is an inconvenience, you can always purchase Early Bird Check-in, which will automatically secure a boarding position for you 36 hours prior to your flight. With an earlier boarding position, you increase the chances of having more seats available for you and your family to sit in so that you can be closer to one another. Flight crew are not required to reseat passengers to accommodate families; however, it has been generally extended as a courtesy in part with Southwest employee's kindness and character.   "One child over 14 days old and under two (2) years of age, not occupying a seat, may be carried free of charge when traveling with an adult (12 years of age or older)."   Please note that Southwest employees may ask for documentation to ensure that your child is of appropriate age to be carried as a lap infant. This has been a practice of Southwest (although I am not sure if they ask this frequently), so it is recommended that you bring along a birth certificate or documentation to prove your child's age.   All in all, I encourage you to contact Southwest's Customer Service team. This experience is unacceptable, and the action taken (with the $150 travel credit), I believe, should be refunded to your original method of payment instead. Should you wish to pursue this, you can write to the refunds department at Southwest.   Southwest Airlines Refunds Department P.O. Box 36649 Dallas, Texas 75235-1649   Thank you for sharing your Southwest story, and I truly do hope you will give the airline another chance so that you can experience what the Southwest experience truly is like. ... View more

@TheMiddleSeat wrote: I suspect the process has been going on so long that most people have received one like you did, when their license was up for renewal.  Could be, but I'm thinking a lot of people are just renewing their normal license and not opting to get a REAL ID, because it costs more and you have to jump through so many hoops documentation-wise to get it.    In early 2020 before things hit the fan, articles were saying that millions of Americans did *not* have REAL IDs yet, only about 3 in 10 did. (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/real-id-deadline-us-airports-worried-millions-of-americans-wont-have-required-identification-card/) I mean I was one of those millions back then, so things could have changed, but I'm doubting it's improved that much. I'm waiting for this to become "an issue" whenever it finally gets implemented. You know there are going to be some people saying "...but I didn't know!!" when they get can't go through TSA to catch their Southwest flight ;D    --Jessica ... View more

Love the pics!   --Jessica ... View more

This is impossible to predict, flights prices fluctuate due to a variety of factors, and COVID has only exasperated that (but things are slowly - but surely - returning to some level of normalcy compared to 2020). My only advice would be if you see a price you are happy with, book it now - if you see that the flight price goes down, you can rebook the flight (at no charge!) and the difference in fare will be given as a travel credit to use later. I do this all the time.   --Jessica  ... View more

I'll take "This Didn't Happen" for $500, Alex.   --Jessica ... View more

It's a little bit further but you can fly southwest to Fort Lauderdale from the Long Island/Islip airport. That said, it does seem to only be operated on Saturday and Sunday.   Southwest used the pandemic to expand to new markets since the aircraft were underutilized due to a drop in demand and because of that, they haven't fully restored their pre-pandemic network. Over the next five years, instead of expanding, they'll be working on rebuilding their pre-pandemic network since all the expansion they recently did would have been done over 5-10 years, but was implemented in two.   -Andrew E DEN Flyer | Southwest Passenger | Aviation Enthusiast ... View more

I flew my fourth flight to qualify on 11/13 and my status now shows e ding 12/31/22!   ... View more

Correction... INTO Hawaii from the other states.      Or into PR as well.    But not back into the states from either... only from other countries.  ... View more

If Southwest cancelled your flight (and it was not a cancellation you made yourself) and you did not fly then you are certainly entitled to a refund there - but since you were rebooked and flew, any rebooking that Southwest had to do should for you should not have made you pay any difference in fare. I would definitely contact Southwest about this issue using one of the Contact Us methods below and explain the situation to them.   --Jessica ... View more