12-15-2020
12:55 PM
I just found out my charge for early bird check in is forfeited because I had to cancel my Christmas plans to visit my grandchildren during the pandemic. - SO much for holiday cheer. Apparently, if I had changed my flight, I would not have lost it but, in case Southwest has not noticed, there is a pandemic called COVID-19 going on. I cancelled with a very heavy heart. I decided the risk to myself and family was too great to make the trip i so desperately wanted to make. My husband also forfeited his SW early bird-check in fees. (He ususally flies with Delta where he gets an assigned seat) We will both definitely be going again in the future but I am not sure when. For several years, i have been making this trek monthly (on Southwest) but, in the past, I have not paid extra for early bird check in. However, this time my seat was more important to me so I went ahead. When I found out it was forfeited, I checked the Southwest website to see if I missed something and if it is in the small print (which I did not find) it must be really small - like you need a magnifying glass. The message in this community is to change your reservation raher than cancelling. That is a ridiculous solution. I should change to a time that I will likely not use just to preserve these dollars. Then I have to keep track of that and change again later. Certainly a catch 22 if I ever saw one. Southwest - you should be ashamed - especially during a pandemic!!!! I realize this is not a huge sum of money and many others are hurting - suffering much more serious losses than me -- so Southwest Airlines, please give my husband's and my forfeited early bird check-in fees to a charity for the homeless or hungry and please send me an email telling me to which charity you donated it. Please do it right away to help out a family during the holidays. In fact I suggest you pledge to give all 2020 and 2021 forfeited early bird check in fees to a charity or charities to the very neediest individuals and families.
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