You need to contact Customer Relations, not the "regular" reservations department, and their phone line has limited hours/days. Plus, when they are open, they're overwhelmed. I wouldn't recommend calling right now, your best bet is to reach out via Twitter or Facebook private message (they're staffed by Customer Relations). You'll get a quicker response, and you'll also be creating a paper trail. If you qualify for a refund (your flight was cancelled by Southwest) Make the refund request clear and unequivocal, and in writing. Document everything. If you're denied, or offered anything other than a full refund, reply once, insist on the refund, and cite the DOT enforcement order. (You may have just reached an misinformed agent earlier. Give Southwest a chance to correct any mistakes. Them initiating the refund is still the quickest way to get one.) Carriers must process the refund within 7 days. Note that it may take your bank another 1-2 billing cycles to actually put the funds back in your credit card account. If you don't receive notification that the refund has been processed within 7 days, dispute the charge with your credit card bank. Banks are also overwhelmed these days, but there should be a way to initiate a dispute via their website. They have 30-45 days to respond, but they will likely issue a temporary credit to your card account quicker than that. If you're ultimately denied a refund, file a DOT consumer complaint. The good news is that you'll most likely not have to take things that far. Despite a brief period of non-compliance, Southwest has corrected themselves and, I suspect, wants to do the right thing now (and avoid DOT fines or other enforcement action). Agents may continue to initially offer travel funds (or vouchers for EarlyBird Check-In fees), but if you're clear about needing a refund it's likely they'll understand and comply.
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