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12-21-2017
03:16 PM
1 Love
@usrcpog wrote: ...Recently I also handed out that the Thank you for kicking tail coupons to SW employees. This was a big delima for me. The ticket agent who was so great when I wanted an earlier flight. The pilots who got me there safely. The flight attendants who are so great, tell jokes, take care of all of us, serve us free soda, water, and snacks The baggage handlers who put our bags on the flights The folks on the other end of the phone with SW who help me when I need it. The rest of the team I did not mention. I expect #2 on all my airline flights, but have definitely handed out a few kicktail coupons for many of the other roles! I did have a captain or co-pilot grab my gate-checked stroller off the elevator, but unfortunately at that time I was all bundled up and didn't have ready access to my coupons. Here's to you Captain!
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12-21-2017
03:13 PM
You may have to go through a verification as if you didn't have any ID (they obviously get some number of people every week that have lost their ID). Probably bring a few additional supporting documents such as your student ID, credit cards, utility bill, or other info and I believe they may be able to look up your info from the old driver's license number or SSN. If you have a passport that counts, or Global Entry card would also work...use those in place of your driver's license and you are set. Allow some extra time at TSA to verify by answering questions - they don't say how much longer but I'd add at least a half hour to what you are normally comfortable with, maybe an hour.
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12-21-2017
10:16 AM
12-21-2017
10:16 AM
@tpegan wrote: In the 100's of times I've flown Southwest I've never heard this group mentioned by the gate attendant. It's always A-Listers, Family and military in uniform that can go between A and B. I have never heard them mention a group that would fall into a boarder that needs extra time. I'm not saying you're wrong but it must be such an infrequent occurrence they don't feel the need to mention it. I agree that it must be relatively rare compared to the regular preboarding. I've heard on here of at least a few people being directed to do that. I don't konw if I've seen it or not, either not paying attention, or it may be relatively rare as you mentioned...Southwest may only announce it if they know there are people that will be using it, or maybe they tell people to just line up with family boarding...I don't know for sure.
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12-20-2017
01:47 PM
I haven't always gotten availability of an exit row when I have A-16 to A-20 type numbers, but I often do when the flight number originates at MDW but less often when it is a through flight. To @chgoflyer's point, no pre-boarder or pre-boarder companion should be taking the exit row, and I do think the FA watch out for this...you'd have the right to call them out for reseating. The through passengers however would be able to take those spots, as well as the A1-A15 people. If that TPA flight was a through flight, that was probably the issue. In your first example that must have been quite a heavy preboard activity. I think any two people together in A-group would usually be comfortable to sit together.
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12-20-2017
01:25 PM
12-20-2017
01:25 PM
@tpegan wrote: Well that just makes no sense. If you are familiar with queing theory putting a slow boarder in front of others increases the boarding time for everyone behind them. It saves no time in the boarding process. If the person does not need pre-boarding assistance then what is gained by moving him up in the queue? One benefit may be to reduce time standing in the queue at the gate - so someone who couldn't stand as long would be able to sit and then jump into the A/B gap and board. The time in the jet bridge and on the plane would be about the same. But once on board the person wouldn't need to sit in front due to their condition. This would help the A1-A60 crowd by having fewer preboards taking spots, so that seems to be desirable if the person doesn't literally need to be in the front of the plane due to mobility issues then position "A61" should be a partial accomodation?
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That's not accurate - when requesting preboarding status the agent should be asking a few questions relating to "does the passenger need a specific seat" and if the answers lead to "no, but some extra time would be helpful" then the person would be boarding beetween A and B instead of as a pre-board. Excerpt from: https://www.southwest.com/html/generated/help/faqs/boarding_the_plane_faq.html Preboarding is available for Customers who have a specific seating need to accommodate their disability and/or need assistance in boarding the aircraft or stowing an assistive device. Customers who are traveling with assistance and emotional support animals qualify for preboarding. If a Customer with a disability simply needs a little extra time to board, we will permit the Customer to board before Family Boarding, between the A and B groups. Those Customers who need extra time to board will receive a new boarding pass with an extra time designation. The designation serves as notification to our Operations (boarding) Agent that the Customer should be permitted to board before Family Boarding.
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12-19-2017
02:56 PM
12-19-2017
02:56 PM
I couldn't see the attachment. You should scan the terms also for what happens if they make a mistake such as listing the incorrect year, Southwest may have some rights to limit the reward to what was intended. Good luck! It is definitely great having companion pass.
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I think the OP meant A list, plus compantion pass as opposed to A-List+ = preferred? Anyway - I'm in a similar situation back at the start of November with all of my business travel completed for the year, but needing about 10,000 points. I considered purchasing higher fare flights for holiday travel to earn preferred, but decided not to make a points run and booked holiday travel from points instead. I would have had to buy a BS fare, WGA wouldn't have gotten me there alone. Estimate for yourself what the value would be by having the 100% bonus instead of the 25% A-list bonus based on your expected number of flights next year. At 60,000 points from flights, the extra 75% bonus = 45,000 points, at valuation $0.02/point an approximate breakeven cost to "buy" the status by flying a flight that I wouldn't have othwerwise purchased was $900 For business travel i can reimburse my wifi to each client, so spending my own money to earn free wifi for the year didn't have a financial return. Plus I don't always use it, and qualify isn't always great, so I passed on that. If you are a business owner where wifi comes from your pocket, that's worth 35 x $8 in addition to the points. A-list automatic checkin is still pretty good, preferred might be a few spots better. So mainly I think you should look at your remaining flights for the year, see how close you would otherwise be, and decide if upgrading any of those to higher points or else making a points run would make sense. For me it was a little too far of a gap between what I had to buy anyway and what would be needed to get the 10,000 points.
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12-19-2017
02:39 PM
1 Love
I don't think it matters too much. I like seats in front of the engines since it is a little quieter, but the seats to the rear are okay too. Check with the gate when you arrive to see how many people are on the plane - if there are plenty of empties then hopefully you get one of the empty middles and you don't need to stress it. For fuller flight, dive in to an empty row and you have a good chance that people will take the other empty spots first if they are hesitant to sit next to a young child. Location of the changing table varies between 737-700 and 737-800, ask the flight attendant when you board if the front or rear has the changing table on your flight and maybe that's a tie breaker for which half of the plane you try for. Hopefully you can make it 1:45 without a change though. If you do acquire an empty middle seat and your kid is sitting there, make sure to let the FA know that the child is a lap child and not to be counted as a ticketed seat when they count passengers at the end of boarding.
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I had the same question, but after going to the points summary on my account and toggling back and forth between TQP and regular points it was clear that the bonus points were not included in the TQP, every flight was off by the same ratio. I didn't think they would be, or else the 100% bonus for A-list preferred would be too powerful of a perk.
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12-15-2017
01:43 PM
12-15-2017
01:43 PM
How did your Thanksgiving gravy turn out @TheMiddleSeat?
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12-15-2017
01:43 PM
12-15-2017
01:43 PM
When you say group travel and for that amount, I assume you mean an official group more than ten people...I'd call the number here and ask: https://www.southwest.com/html/air/business-groups/group-travel.html Maybe you will happen to find a member of the community that can respond, but if you call that 800 number they'll know the details right away for you. I would assume yes, they may have groups even larger than what you are describing so I would expect some limit on number of cards, but it must be more than one.
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12-13-2017
01:21 PM
12-13-2017
01:21 PM
If you are referring to the Chase Rapid Rewards Visa @jcrump68, it depends when the statement closing is as opposed to when the purchase is made. If the next statement closing will be in January, then the CP points will count towards next year's qualification (qualifying in 2018 for 2019). Points for flights (6x on WGA and 12x on BS) count when the flight is taken, so flights in December count towards the current qualification period.
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Did you read The Points Guy's article? It says sign up with the California promotional offer good for 2018, and early in 2018 (or anytime really) earn the bonus points from credit cards to qualify for 2019 through the "normal" way. If you hit 110,000 this year, then it will count for 2018, not for 2019 - there's not a special two-year promotion, it was using the promotion plus the regular path in January.
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12-12-2017
05:45 PM
You'll have to call customer service @JH2211, no one on the message board will be able to issue a refund.
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12-12-2017
11:53 AM
1 Love
@eodc514Many people use the cards to purchase travel all of the time and aren't relying on the bonus for any particular decisionmaking. Why would you wait until next January if you were going to be flying a lot from February to December? The bonus is always applicable for points redemption. It's only for people that are strategizing a companion pass that it really matters with the timing. It's actually pretty nice of Southwest to provide the remainder of the year, plus the next calendar year for new earners. One reason for this is that you can plan ahead for the next year instead of earning CP mid-year and then having possibly several months where you will already have your flights booked. Giving you a the next calendar year works well to allow people to plan to use CP.
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12-12-2017
11:44 AM
1 Love
Something is missing - to earn 22,940 points on a flight, even if it was business select, would cost $1,912...I've never seen a round-trip on Southwest that would be that high, assuming that you used the companion pass for the other ticket. 22,940 does sound like a more common amount of points to redeem for a flight...Does your account show that you used points to book this trip instead of added them?
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12-12-2017
11:41 AM
12-12-2017
11:41 AM
Because Southwest doesn't use the same hub and spoke model as the legacy carriers I think they would struggle with Plattsburg - seeing the competition there makes me think "nope" on that one. Burlington might be a better candidate, but just because it might be desirable to you and Southwest, doesn't mean gates are available, etc. It can't hurt to let them know that it is on your list of desirable locations though in case it makes sense or an opportunity comes up.
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12-12-2017
11:36 AM
I'll add that you should let the flight attendant help store it, and they can make sure it stays on top of the luggage so you can access it during the flight if you need to get up.
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12-10-2017
05:19 PM
Overall holding a couple of spots for your kids shouldn't be a big deal...stay out of the front rows and obviously away from the exit rows where kids aren't allowed anyway. As long as the older kids can be entrusted to line up and board on their own I think you'll be fine. That said, holding one spot is easy - if you and the six year old sit aisle and window, you will be able to hold the middle seat no problem. For two seats you'll be looking to either sit 2+2 or 3+1...maybe you and the youngest can sit in two aisle seats towards the back, saving the middles next to you, that would also be pretty easy even if the kids boarded last. Taking three seats in one row and trying to hold the aisle across from you, in front of your, or to your rear - you'd need to explain the situation to anyone that came by looking at that spot, and maybe enlist the help of the flight attendant or other passengers that sit in the other two seats of that row. If Early Bird for the older kids isn't a burden it may help a little - you'll most likely be fine without it, but if it reduces stress then maybe it is worth the peace of mind. Otherwise just make sure everyone is ready to check in exactly at 24-hours prior to get the best numbers that you can. Ask the gate agent if everyone can board at family boarding, which they may allow.
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12-10-2017
12:03 PM
The rules are that the 9 and 11-year olds would board at their numbered position, and that everyone would be able to board together at the highest number slot if you didn't board with the youngest at family boarding. You may want to ask the gate agent about allowing all three kids at family boarding. Depending on the airport they may allow this. It is possible that you could just try it as well, but you would want to have "Plan B" in place if the agent didn't allow the two older ones through. If the two older kids do board later than you, let the flight attendant know that they are coming and they can probably help you, it will be less stressful trying to hold a couple of spots towards the back of the plane than the front.
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12-10-2017
11:54 AM
Good point @chgoflyer - booking a flight wouldn't earn points until you flew, so that's not really an option unless you have a trip before the expiration. Thanks for clarifying that it is earning points rather than points activity/redeeming.
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12-10-2017
11:51 AM
12-10-2017
11:51 AM
Did you just recently earn A-list? You will "check-in" after 24 hours just as you always did before - the only difference is that your number is already assigned. After the 24-hour mark you are actually just claiming your boarding pass. Since the number if pre-assigned, you don't have to scramble to do it right at 24-hours, you can do it more or less at your leisure.
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12-08-2017
03:51 PM
I would call the 800 number and see if they have a suggestion. Maybe you can buy a minimal number of points, or booking a flight might count to activate them? I'm not sure if keeping them active requires adding points, or any activity would count.
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12-08-2017
02:24 PM
5,000 points will be about $400 of Business Select fares - do you have any destinations close to you that would work? Maybe BS there to get the 12x points and then WGA or use points to come back after having lunch. Two WGA fares for the same points would have to be $833 worth which is tough combination for one short round trip. That is an extremely reliable method since the points post shortly after your flight. I've made a RT from MDW to MSP to achieve status at the end of a year, that one was for A-list, but the idea is similar. The downside is buying something that you don't need, where the dining or the shopping could at least be for something useful other than just taking a day trip, but look at the terms to be sure points would post in time.
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12-08-2017
10:24 AM
12-08-2017
10:24 AM
You might still be ahead of the other airlines by not having change fees, but yes it could be an issue if the prices of the flights have changed since you originally bought them. Hopefully a sales comes up or the price drops a little for you to reduce the impact. As mentioend previously though, I wouldn't expect there to be new flights added except for an unusual circumstance. The situation makes sense if you are traveling to a destination that would be busy on Southwest such as during a festival where flights would be booked up months in advance.
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12-08-2017
10:20 AM
12-08-2017
10:20 AM
Southwest sells bags for $17 each. These aren't required, it's up to you if it is helpful to make sure things don't get scuffed, or if you find cheaper bags somewhere else that's okay too. If you might be flying 5-10 times or more, the cost of the bag may be reasonable to reduce wear from handling. From my perspective, for any one trip you aren't expecting much to happen to your item. But now having used our blue bags 30+ times, the bags sure are beat up...glad that cumulative punishment (even if a very little each time) wasn't onto our stroller.
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As long as you are qualifying based on number of flights then the price doesn't matter, but as you pointed out it has to be a flight that you pay for. I don't think it is uncommon to make an "A-list" run around this time of year for people that are one or two legs away from qualifying. I made a RT from MDW to MSP last year for this purpose since the fares were so low. (Using points for one leg since I only needed an additional flight.) If you are going for points to qualify, then obviously the more expensive flights count at a higher rate, and BS flights count 12x points instead of 6x points (in addition to costing more).
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Butane is a no for either checked or carry on: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/flammables
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12-05-2017
02:22 PM
12-05-2017
02:22 PM
I'm not sure how knowing the number of seats left would help with time to make the booking either. Are you trying for 1/3 empty? Grabbing the last seat? That would be a whole different algorithm to solve if you could get the data in the first place.
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