an hour ago
an hour ago
Greetings Community Southwest:
SoCalFlyer97 took a day trip from SAN to LAS and back last week for a personal trip combined with a final visit to the historic Tropicana Casino Resort which is scheduled to close effective next Tuesday, April 2. Several folks from social media have recorded hours of combined streams and video footage documenting the hotel's final days of operation. I took a bunch of pictures too but will share some of the more unique moments of the trip.
We begin by documenting how the outbound flight went aboard the MAX8. Despite the news media painting a negative picture on Boeing lately, I felt completely safe aboard this plane. One can see from the terminal window ground crews hard at work doing their routine work and inspections. Being a frequent flyer, I can state for a fact that Southwest does a thorough job in quality-checking its fleet before each departure. For this trip, I managed to lock in a $39 fare each way from a prior "Super Low Sale Fares: As Low as $39" local promo.
Plane: 737-MAX8, N8748Q Full Flight, On Time Preboards: 14
For the record, this trip had several wheelchaired passengers and their assistants; hence a high pre-board count. However it appeared they were all entitled to use the benefit; thus everything appeared fair and square; so no complaints. Upon pulling out of the gate, I soon discovered that San Diego had some visiting 'dignitaries':
N280WN 737-700 Missouri One:
N8619F 737-8H4 Illinois One:
N945WN 737-700 Florida One:
And the Disney Wonder too:
Arrived in LAS with no troubles. Took care some personal things in Vegas including a visit with a close friend.
Later, I saw that our pal Leo the Lion was getting a nice treatment:
Arrived at the Tropicana for a final farewell as this is my last trip to LAS before it closes. As mentioned, I'm not going to repeat what many other social media folks are publishing; if you want the whole tour of the resort, feel free to search for those. Here were some of the more unique moments:
The Tropicana has a vintage stained glass ceiling spanning a large section of its casino. When I went upstairs to tour the public areas of the mezzanine level, I had a unique opportunity to photo-document the back-end of this feature as I found the door from the public hallway leading into the 'backstage' area was open:
I waited for the crews to come back to the public hallway and they were gracious enough to allow me to peak in from the hallway and photograph the behind-the-scenes of this fabulous piece of art.
Standard lights beam on reflectors to give the window its soothing glow from the casino floor below. As lots of people are petitioning, I hope the building inspectors and workers can find a safe way to move and salvage this piece of Las Vegas history. I think they can and can speculate that's the reason why the workers were in this area looking at the back-end of this stained glass window piece, but I'm not an engineer and I can't state whether or not they will be able to save this feature. I hope they do.
The next piece I would like to spotlight are some of the hotel's vintage interior design features including the floor and low ceiling.
They don't make brown tile floors like these any more in Vegas hotels.
Totally 70's interior in the mezzanine hallway near the hotel offices and the stained glass window backstage room:
And the low popcorn ceiling which in some areas can be touched.
The Tropicana allowed the general public access to the guest floors, even to the very top floor where the high-end suites dwelt. Here's a few shots of both the 'regular' and the glass Otis traction elevators with that unique Tropicana interior design:
Pressing and holding the Ground Floor and the Door Close buttons at the same time for the entire ride down granted me a non-stop descent from the top floor down to the ground floor aboard this glass lift. The trick is not guaranteed to work every time as they all say.
Some more of Trop's elevators: This one links the casino/lobby area to the bridge that connects to the Club Tower and convention area:
And this one takes guests and the general public from the Casino to the Tropicana Blvd pedestrian bridge to the MGM Grand:
It looks like the hotel just recently spent a good amount of money modernizing this lift. Not sure if the fixtures or the elevator as a whole can be re-purposed or moved elsewhere before they knock down the building.
...And I just had to do some more bird watching from the 21st floor of the Club tower.
Lastly, I had a chance to share a meal with my friend at Robert Irvine's Public House, located at the pedestrian bridge entrance.
There's no official word just yet of when or if the celebrity chef will relocate his pub elsewhere. The food was great and prices were decent considering the quality and large portion sizes. I'm sure Irvine likely spent some good money on the interior design of his restaurant which appears to be in great shape; sad to see it go.
Time to head back. Flight was running a few minutes behind upon arrival at LAS but still in the 'Green'. When I got to the gate area, I saw that the convention of newly produced Boarding Position Poles have just arrived.
Return Flight: Plane: 737-MAX8, N8901Q 67% Full, Originally about 15 minutes behind Preboards: 7
So everybody at the gate was ready to board until we realized that the plane that is actually docked at our gate was for another earlier flight that was delayed pushing back, thus the MAX8 plane pictured above was the aircraft that would take us back to SAN but had to hold in this area for an additional 20 minutes until the gate cleared.
Once we boarded, I noticed this MAX8 had the new larger overhead bins installed with a sign to turn carry on bags on their sides. Nice!
Final glimpse of the Trop before it closes.
Plane had about another 30 minute combined tarmac hold: about 20 minutes at the gate and a 10 minute hold on the taxiway, likely due to high air traffic headed into SAN.
With the delay came the greater good of another beautiful sunset landing into SAN.
Plane also recovered some good time in the air thanks to a direct route from wheels up to wheels down.
Prior Trip Reports: https://community.southwest.com/t5/Inflight-Experience/March-24-Southwest-Flight-Photo-Trip-Report-Sacramento-Airport/m-p/170034
https://community.southwest.com/t5/Inflight-Experience/Feb-24-Flight-Southwest-Hotels-Trip-Report-Hotel-Apache-Westgate/m-p/169582#M7816
More Info on the SAN-LAS Flight Route: https://www.southwest.com/routes/flights-from-san-diego-to-las-vegas
Safe Travels,
SoCalFlyer97
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4 hours ago
4 hours ago
@20007643 wrote:
Charles of Georgia Center provided me with EXEMPLARY (above and beyond expectations) CUSTOMER SERVICE
when I could not get onto Southwest Airlines account.
Since I have been a Southwest Airline client since 1995, I was amazed how Charles was able to overcome multiple blockages until I was able to get onto Southwest Airline to check my schedule on a flight.
Charles was very knowledgeable, patient, clear about options to get the problem solved and encouraging. I hope this feedback will be given to Charles in his performance material and shared with others to encourage their patience when working with a Southwest Airline person who needs assistance.
Great to hear positive stories like this 😊. Thanks for sharing.
Would you do one more kind return favor for Charles. This forum is customer-to-customer and it's likely your beautifully written letter won't reach his department through this board. Would you forward your compliment directly to Southwest Customer Service via this link if you haven't done so yet:
https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/email-us
That will help ensure your feedback reaches the appropriate personnel. Appreciate you posting this experience to the community and glad you got the help you needed.
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yesterday
1 Love
@georjanna wrote:
Aloha,
I booked two one-way trips so I could get the companion pass. I had originally booked one round trip, but I realized I wanted to fly into a different airport so I canceled and rebooked using the points I got from canceling. Does this still count towards the companion pass deal? Or would I not qualify anymore?
Hola! According to the terms of this promotion, as long as you made both the original booking and your required changes within the promotional period (i.e.: booked and changed anytime between March 25 - March 27, 2024 inclusive) and the Promo is activated in your Rapid Rewards account, you should be good to go. The flight(s) need to be taken by May 22. Just make sure the Promo is activated in your account--Go to "My Account", scroll to "Wanna bring a friend for free* every time you fly?" area and make sure you see a green check mark there indicating the promo was activated at the time of booking/change.
If you make any changes to the flight after the promo expires tomorrow, that will void the flight from the promo.
I assume that you made this change by fully scrapping the original round trip through "Cancel Flight" and booked two fresh One Way Flights. If you made this change this way--so as long you're logged into your Rapid Rewards account with the Promotion activated in your Rapid Rewards account when you booked the two fresh one ways--you should be good.
If you go into your Rapid Rewards account, you can click on "View Details" in the promo area that describes the rules in detail.
Hope this helps!
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yesterday
yesterday
@CupCrusher40 wrote:
So much to see in Florida, I went 10 times has not seen it all. Nation huge.
The same can be said for every one of my short-haul flight destinations that I share on this board...Taken hourlong plane rides to spots like LAS, SMF, OAK, and SJC numerous times and visited all kinds of different places there...but with the huge amount of spots to go and things to do...SoCalFlyer97 has covered only a few drops of his giant bucket list for these destinations.
I too still haven't seen it all...
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@tktc_78520 wrote:
When security removes a passenger from a flight, does anybody know who determines the next step? I asked a kid (he was in his 20s—I am 76) to move his feet in the boarding area because you had to step over them to get through. He scoffed at the request. I said again, "You need to move your feet and learn to respect your elders." I boarded the flight without issue because that was the extent of the situation. There was no scene. This kid took my picture and falsely accused me of being a threat to security. I was escorted off the flight by law enforcement.
After I was interviewed by law enforcement, Southwest refunded my ticket and booked me on a flight the next day, free of charge. I was not allowed to travel with SW on the same day. However, I was able to travel on any other airline. How does this make sense?
Does anybody know if there is a formal policy for this process?
Thank you.
Yikes! Those surprises are never pleasant...
I'm not sure of any defined process or policy on this but given the seriousness of this incident--if you haven't done so already--I would do another follow up with Southwest Customer Relations as it appears the Operations staff at SW was the party that gave you the boot as the local airport police and TSA permitted you to fly via another carrier on the same day. Looks like the SW Customer Service staff at the airport did what they could by completely comping your next-day flight but I'm assuming internal policy prohibits them from booking you on the next flight on the same day in response to an incident.
SW's Customer Relations email is here if you want to ask them directly on this: https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/email-us
It's likely the young man felt he was being harassed which led him to report it to the Gate staff.
As a frequent traveler, if I encounter any "annoyances" from a fellow traveler, I have to be very careful of how to approach the situation. In most cases, I would just let it go and move on. I would have not confronted the young man other than maybe a polite "excuse me, passing through" if I needed to get by him should either he or is belongings are blocking the walkway in the gate area.
If an annoyance appears to interfere with the overall good of the flight or the airport experience, I'll let the appropriate staff know about it so it can be processed.
Either way, I would follow up with Customer Relations on this directly.
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Greetings!
I would subscribe to receive Southwest emails if you haven't done so already. That way, you'll get notified of any major or local sale. Most local sales in my area get announced on Tuesday morning and last through Thursday 11:59pm. On top of the Promo Companion Pass offer that is currently live through today, there's some local sales happening now:
Los Angeles:
LAX-LAS $46
LAX-PHX $70
LAX-RNO $75
LAX-SLC $70
LAX-SFO $46
Austin:
AUS-HRL $59
AUS-MAF $59
AUS-BNA $69
Baltimore:
BWI-CLT $66
Atlanta:
ATL-FLL $79
ATL-MIA $79
This would also be a good page to bookmark:
https://www.southwest.com/find-best-flight-deals/
Hope this helps!
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Tuesday
@khlei4 wrote:
If I use RR points to book a flight, does the flight count towards Companion Pass points?
When I look at my point history, I see where I’ve earned points for using my credit card and points for flying. I’ve been using my credit card to book the flight so I’m under the assumption I’m getting Companion Pass points for flying and for the credit card spending. I currently have 90k points so I’d rather spend 30k of that than spend credit card money but my priority would be to earn the companion pass first.
I echo @dfwskier. No double dipping 🙂
If you're looking for Companion Pass-eligible points and you have upcoming hotel stays coming up, Southwest Hotels Points Plus properties are a great source of Rapid Reward points and they do count toward Companion Pass.
https://www.southwesthotels.com/
Travel Tip: If you go this route, I would pay the extra few dollars and book properties that support free cancellation--just in case 🙂
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Tuesday
Tuesday
@troy0566 wrote:
I made a reservation to National Harbor, MD April 14-17 + Hotel.
Today, March 26th, learning that my employer had rooms reserved for us, I called Southwest wanting to either Cancel the hotel portion of the reservation or cancel the reservation entirely and rebook the flight. Note: the confirmation email concerning the hotel states, "Hotel Cancel Policy: CANCEL PERMITTED UP TO 3 DAYS BEFORE ARRIVAL".
I was told that I can cancel the hotel but I would not receive a refund to that portion regardless of weather I canceled the hotel or the entire package. This is misleading.
I have always been a fan of Southwest, but I will not book a vacation package with them again as they are not clear in their policies regarding changes and cancelation.
Greetings-
As a frequent SW flyer and frequent user of Southwest Hotels, I have not used the Southwest Vacations booking portal as I'm not a fan of its packaged hotel cancellation policies--same reason you stated. The cancellation policy is defined in the SW Vacations Terms of Service.
As an alternative, I have used the Southwest Hotels/Rocket Miles portal extensively (powered through booking.com) as the Rapid Reward bonus deals are great for the Points Plus properties, rooms can be booked regardless if it involved a SW flight, and most properties offer a free cancellation option up to 72 or even 48 hours prior which I have needed to use a couple of times after noticing price drops in the market.
Since Southwest Airlines currently has a generous Promotional Companion Pass offer live for today and tomorrow for new flights, and your business trip to National Harbor falls within the required travel-by date, I would do a fresh price check for the flight portion of the trip.
If the posted airfare is still reasonable, I would completely scrap the entire Southwest Vacations booking and take the hit on the hotel cancellation fee. Per the terms, the SW Vacations airfare portion would be a SW Flight Credit. I would then activate the Promo Companion Pass offer in your Rapid Rewards account by clicking on "Register Now" on the front page of Southwest's website while logged in.
After activating the promo, while logged into your same Rapid Rewards account, book your flight for your business trip directly through Southwest as a new flight...and yes, you can pay for a portion of this flight using the flight credit from your cancelled Southwest Vacations and it will qualify for this promo. The value of the Promo Companion Pass should certainly offset the cost of SW Vacations hotel cancellation fee and any differences in airfare.
Hope this helps!
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Monday
@SN wrote:
I need a response
As a woman carrying my Quran at the airport at Phenix airport, I've been a loyal Southwest Airlines customer, but after my recent experience, I've decided it's my last flight with them. During boarding, despite having the correct number, I was unfairly held back by a Southwest employee named Lynn, allowing others to board ahead of me and my mother, seemingly because of our Muslim faith. When I voiced my concern, I said "these numbers are after our number and this is an obvious discrimination" another employee named Michael J Page intervened, aggressively cornering me and insisting I repeat certain phrases or be denied boarding, citing vague behavioral concerns. Feeling coerced, I complied, but not before informing him of my intent to report his actions. When I told him I will report his action he said "He knows my name" which I find it threatening. Despite attempts by my husband, who is a doctor, to address the situation, Michael J Page ignored him and left the aircraft. This discriminatory treatment and intimidation are unacceptable and warrant immediate attention.
Greetings!
Sorry to hear you experienced this. There may be more to this incident as it is illegal for an airline to subject a person in air transportation to discrimination on the basis of religion. I would forward your letter in an email addressed directly to Southwest Customer Relations for review as this a customer-to-customer forum and official action cannot be processed here.
Gate Agents can pull passengers from the boarding line for other valid reasons but never on the basis of one's religion alone. Given the seriousness and degree of what you felt, best not to make assumptions on this board and have Customer Relations investigate this for you so they can investigate and determine the actual reason of why you were pulled.
https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/email-us
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Monday
Monday
@trumpjk wrote:
I know this question was posted a few years ago. Wondering if anything has changed?
Hello-
This was asked a few weeks ago and I understand Roatan Island within the Caribbean is a beautiful place judging by all the pictures I see of it. I'm not aware of any official announcements to bring the LUV Airline to RTB.
It wouldn't hurt to let Customer Service know directly that RTB is on your wish-list as a Southwest Airlines Caribbean destination: https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/email-us
Click on "Comment/Question", "Customer Service" to access the email form.
When I last checked this airport, there were a number of the US legacy carriers that served RTB; however this airport appears to be pretty small. I would think gate capacity limitations may be an obstacle for Southwest but this could be a good market. I would forward your letter to them. For now, I'm sure Southwest can at least get you from your home airport into the legacy carrier's hub airport so that SW can still be a part of your travel experience.
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@Nottoc54 wrote:
I met a fellow traveler at the Midway Airport today, and she shared with me that she is deaf. She said it is difficult for her to know what is being said over the intercom in the terminal and on the plane.
Has Southwest ever pursued any transcription services that can be toggled on or off the terminal screens so people who are deaf can read what the people are saying at the gates?
Greetings:
Southwest has the following page published which should address this:
https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/article/I-need-another-type-of-disability-related-assistance
As a frequent customer, I have never "closed captioning" on the monitors during verbal announcements for the hearing impaired but the airline does offer alternate methods of communication upon request both in the terminal and on the plane. The request can be noted in the reservation and brought to the attention of a uniformed Southwest employee upon arrival at the airport.
The next best friends for the hearing impaired are the status monitors which visually communicate key details like flight status and boarding groups, especially the ones directly operated by Southwest as these also communicate how full the flight is and the approximate time when boarding starts:
Gate Status Monitor (Airport-operated):
Gate Status Monitor (Southwest Operated):
Boarding Group Monitors:
Hope this helps!
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I saw some news articles published last November about this subject and the possibility of this happening with Southwest. I would certainly vote for night owl service, especially for the high-demand short-haul commuter routes within California and elsewhere.
Whenever I do my daytrips abroad, I proactively have a change of clothes and note a few hotel locations in case a last-minute disruption ever prevents me from returning back to SoCal later in the afternoon or evening hours. Having a few additional late-night or overnight departure options as a cushion would be a great back-up option should I ever face a last-minute cancellation going home and the remaining flights for the evening are sold out.
I would stay tuned for now; it may be coming...
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Friday
Friday
@robertfare16 wrote:
Southwest doesn’t fly to Asia, Europe or Africa . So have limited alliance partner. KLM is not southwest airlines alliance partner. You can't book KLM flight using southwest airlines points. So to change name on ticket you have to visit KLM official website. Southwest has interline agreement with Westjet.
Also If you are looking to change name on southwest flight ticket than you can visit southwest official website or can read step by step guide to edit name here .
Last time I checked, WestJet has no interline partnership with Southwest:
https://www.westjet.com/en-ca/who-we-are/airline-partners
In the case of a name change for a Southwest flight, always go through directly to Southwest Customer Service via the Southwest official website and never attempt to process a name change transaction with a third-party provider or via a third-party phone number.
Southwest's official numbers:
https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/article/More-phone-numbers-contact-options
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Friday
Friday
@Tagreen wrote:
Discovered why my bag was not on carousel, southwest crushed the bottom with of a new Away Suitcase. Wow! What a completely inept airline you have become.
Re: The damaged bag, were you able to speak to and file a claim with the Baggage Claim staff at the airport upon discovery? That would be a key step as you may be due compensation for the damage if reported within four hours of receipt at the baggage claim area.
Either way, I would send your letter in an email directly to Southwest Customer service as this board is customer-to-customer and this community does not have the means to process your baggage incident. Go here:
https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/email-us
Click on "Comment", "Baggage" and "Damaged Luggage".
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Friday
Friday
@Tagreen wrote:
Once again Southwest ruined a vacation
I have TSA precheck and CLEAR. I have a companion pass for my wife and am A-List Priority.
After the first time Southwest ruined a trip, I contacted Customer Service and then Homeland Security. Neither found any issues with my credentials. But they issued me a redress number to help avoid this type of thing in the future.
I was born in US and have lived in the US my entire life. I am an elected official in a U.S. city. But for the second time in less than 12 months Southwest has “randomly” selected me for secondary screening, prevented me from checking in online, cancelled my TSA pre-check for the entire trip, and pulled me out of the queue to board a plane. Neither time finding any reason for delaying me.
I was a math major in college so I know mathematically it is near impossible for this to be random. Have taken the same trip in between these two Southwest flights, but flew American Airlines with absolutely no issues.
To ice the cake Southwest also pulled my checked bag causing me to wait until carousel was clear. When I went to baggage services was greeted by an associate obviously having an equally bad day or just looking for opportunities to be offended. They provided no update on baggage tracking that the bag was pulled and do not even attempt to notify a traveler that their bag will not be on the carousel.
Called customer service again and a very kind associate could find no reason for this and even had IT involved to see if they could determine causes but nothing.
Southwest apparently has my profile targeted. Won’t give you the chance to ruin another vacation.
Oh no...This would not be something I would ever want to end up in on any travel trip, especially being a member in a DHS trusted traveler program.
This forum is customer-to-customer; this board will not be able to resolve your redress status. Southwest is also most likely not at fault too for both of your trips; this appears to be a repeat misidentification issue with the DHS. However, by the looks of this, it looks like you already did your homework with the DHS following the first trip and getting a redress number and a case established.
I would first confirm and doublecheck your Redress number was correctly entered and linked to your Rapid Rewards account as this would be key. As you already called Southwest, it is most likely correct but do one more check on this to make sure everything matches to the letter. The name and number of the Redress case must match the traveler's name (similar name and KTN-matching process as with PreCheck).
Absolutely unlikely Southwest would ever be the party "targeting" DHS Trusted Travelers for constant secondary inspections, this would be a DHS misidentification; hence the Redress process. If your Redress number is properly linked, entered correctly, and names match, I would then inquire with DHS on the status of your Redress case to ensure that it is still active, valid, and live. If it is, it appears there's a disconnect somewhere within the DHS system that would need to resolved. At that point, I would inquire about this with DHS and document everything that occurred at the airport in conjunction with your redress status. I would advise DHS that you already attempted to troubleshoot this with Southwest. As a local elected official, DHS may be able to escalate this for you too:
https://www.dhs.gov/dhs-trip
Hope this helps.
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Hello Community Southwest:
Here's a trip report of a recent motel stay in Garden Grove on a Friday night booked through Southwest Hotels. Drive-up motels in this part of Orange County have recently been in the negative spotlight in the news media. The City of Anaheim for example was forced to close and knock down a similar property last year near Knott's Berry Farm that was mired in all kinds of bad trouble.
Normally, I would opt out of staying at one of these places mainly due to security concerns.
So when I was doing my hotel shopping knowing that the hospitality market was going to be very expensive in Garden Grove considering both Disneyland and Knotts were only a few miles away from my destination on a Friday night, the humble Tropic Lodge showed up in the search results for a good rate.
The place showed a solid 7/10 average review for an old motel which surprised me...600 RR Points...$113 after taxes with the "Deluxe Room" upgrade. After looking thorougly at the reviews, pictures, and other hotels nearby that priced way higher, I figured, "Let's give it a try!"
Tropic Lodge Motel
Room Type: Deluxe Room, Refrigerator & Microwave Rapid Rewards Points Plus: 600 SW Hotels Rate after Taxes: $113 (w/ Deluxe Room; not listed on RocketMiles) Competing Booking Site Rates: Other 3rd Party Lowest Price per Trivago: $90.62 (for Economy Room)
With the Deluxe Room upgrade, I figured the mark-up for the Rapid Rewards points was minimal and therefore worth it.
Had no issues with booking on Southwest Hotels but the Tropic does appear to enforce 3pm or later check-in. Arriving earlier meant showing up to a locked door into the front desk area. Wasn't a big deal for me because I arrived at 2:50pm for a 3pm check-in time and waited around. Once the lobby opened, check-in went smoothly. Incidentals deposit was $60.
Being an old motel, my expectations were not that high. However, the parking lot appeared to be recently resealed with a nice jet-black appearance.
The room was very well insulated and noise-resistant and I was able to sleep like a baby. The room's flooring was recently redone; wooden shutters for the window appeared to be recently installed to give it a modernized look-and-feel. Even when emergency vehicles passed by on Garden Grove Blvd, outside noise was minimal. HVAC worked like a gem. Wi-Fi was easy to log into but was a little unstable.
What I really liked about this place (and think this was why the ratings and reviews were in the 7's) was the Tropic strictly enforced guest room and property access. That meant if you're not on the reservation list, don't even think of going into a room or the guest corridors. There's cameras everywhere and guests getting caught letting strangers into their rooms might be booted from the property. I recall signing an agreement that made that policy positively clear. That basically meant there was zero trouble on the property after the sun went down.
Overall, really cannot complain. When I book hotel rooms, I basically need a private room with a bed to sleep in, a working bathroom, and functioning HVAC...And Tropic did its job.
Prior Trip/SW Hotel Reports:
https://community.southwest.com/t5/Inflight-Experience/Feb-24-Flight-Southwest-Hotels-Trip-Report-Hotel-Apache-Westgate/m-p/169582
https://community.southwest.com/t5/Inflight-Experience/Jan-24-Photo-Trip-amp-Southwest-Hotels-Report-SAN-LAS/m-p/167933
Safe Travels! SoCalFlyer97
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For most of my day-trippers and one-nighters, with a little help of rolling up my clothing, I can get everything packed into a standard school-sized backpack. For my multi-day trips that require more clothing, I roll with the 50L Carofield backpack duffle (about20x13x8). This piece came complete with packing cubes and a separate compartment for the laptop that allowed me to make the most of the space. I roll the clothes up and pack 'em in the cubes.
Also, I place the 311 bag, laptop/electronics, and any other 'unusuals' in an easily accessible area in case TSA ever needed to look at it.
One key benefit of this Carofield backpack...If there's no overhead bin space next to a vacant window seat, this bag (believe it or not) does fit under the seat in front of me, even toward the front of the plane where the total width is slightly narrower. Also works for middle seat, but not for the aisle seat.
This basically allows me to pick any open window seat regardless of how full the overhead bins are. Plus, a side benefit is I can have access to the bag during all phases of the flight anytime above the 10k' mark regardless of whether the seatbelt light is on.
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a week ago
a week ago
@omgthisisdumb wrote:
i can't find those at all. let alone im needing to leave in June. any help would be appreciated..
As mentioned, these sales can be hit-or-miss. For example, I too have a return flight scheduled later this summer that is currently "stuck" in the 3-figure territory despite re-checking through the last several sales.
I would still book the flight in question at the standard price to lock in the fare as Southwest doesn't charge any fees for changes. That way, if prices go up, you'll have the lower fair locked in and ready to go. But keep coming back and re-check/re-price the booking in case fares come down later or through a different sale; you'll be able to then collect the difference in fare in the form of a flight credit (or refund too if you bought Anytime or Business Select).
Through the last "as low as $49 sale", I did a price check of this flight and through that sale, I was able to shave off several bucks from this trip and get a flight credit of $29-off from the originally booked fare. Current fare paid is still way out there in 3-digit land but I can now use that credit toward a future flight.
I would book if you haven't done so yet, but keep re-checking, maybe every Tuesday (when sales typically start) and every Friday (when sales typically expire). Should the price drop, rebook and collect the credit.
Hope this helps.
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@Archer1507 wrote:
So I booked a flight as a guest however I never received an email receipt containing the Conformation number; I'm assuming I typed in my email wrong. I now have an account but have no way of accessing that flight without the conformation number; what's my best course of action?
Hello! Try checking your credit card statement for the six-digit confirmation number (my bank shows a 13-digit "ticket number" which is separate but it may be possible your bank shows the 6-digit version needed).
If you don't see the confirmation number, I would contact SW Customer Service for help:
For SW's phone number, go here: https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/article/booking-travel-online
Click on "Need More Assistance" and call the main phone number displayed or request a call back.
Customer Service should be able look up your booking and confirmation number via an alternative method, likely by verifying your name and the credit card number used.
Travel Tip Going Forward: Always save to PDF, take a screenshot, or do a hard copy print of the confirmation page with the confirmation number for any type of travel reservation which includes flights, hotels, parking, rentals and ground service providers. I've had no failed email deliveries with my travel reservations to date but had one instance where the email wasn't received until 2 hours following the booking.
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a week ago
@nlalanne wrote:
I have two trips booked in early May, which includes four Southwest flights. Three of the four of these flights are on a Boeing 737 Max 8, and one flight is on a Boeing 737-800. I'm seeing that Southwest cut the 737 Max from its fleet plans (https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/southwest-airlines-removes-max-7-2024-plans-cuts-delivery-forecast-boeing-2024-01-25/), especially after recent incidents (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/05/business/boeing-737-max-uncertainty.html).
What's going on here? Is this a safe plane? What can we expect for this flight?
Was on two MAX8's just yesterday for a day trip to LAS. I felt completely safe and right at home as I do when flying on any of Southwest's 737's.
Below is the MAX8 Plane N8901Q approaching the gate for my return trip home yesterday late afternoon:
Looking at its history on FlightRadar24, this bird has been all over the country and it still shines and runs like new!
...and for my outbound trip that morning, the MAX8 plane N8748Q even had power to share!
It's 7-day history showed that it's been across the Pacific Ocean a couple times to HNL, to MCO to see the Mouse last weekend, and even to Costa Rica. Still shines and looks as good as new too!
Stay tuned for a report.
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a week ago
a week ago
@sondvm wrote:
I flew from Phoenix to Austin early this morning on a non-stop flight. We were delayed a bit at the gate before departure but since it was nice and cool on the plane and I had wifi, it wasn't really a problem. I was also flying free with a companion pass so - another reason not to complain!
I happened to watch the SWA shows that are offered on the free TV series page. I thought they would just be mini documentaries about the ins and outs of running an airline and flying planes. The shows are incredible! I picked the one called SWA Community (I think). When one show was over, it automatically went to the next and the next, for at least an hour. Each one showcases different ways SWA supports the community in amazing ways.
One of my favorite shows highlighted the Rethreaded Project. This is a project that provides meaningful work and training opportunities for survivors of human trafficking. SWA replaces the leather on their plane seats every 4 years. The old leather is donated to different programs, one of which is Rethreaded. The leather is fashioned into all sorts of items and then sold on the Rethreaded website. As soon as I got home, I had to look at the website and, of course, purchase several beautiful items.
Like I said, the shows went on for almost an hour. Each was inspirational and heart-warming in unique ways. Next time you fly SWA, I urge you to watch some of the SWA shows on the free TV series page. A huge thanks to SWA for all that you do for your community and world.
Sincerely,
sondvm
Great to hear you made the best from the hold up at the gate and great tip!
Would you do a kind favor for the team that developed and put together the Entertainment Portal. Would you forward your compliment directly to Southwest:
https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/email-us
Click on "Comments", "Inflight Experience", "Inflight Entertainment and Services"
That will help ensure the project leaders and their teams get their due praise. Glad you enjoyed the free programming; there's lots to choose from 😊
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To those who follow SoCalFlyer97's posts regularly well know that this traveler's Free Flight Entertainment portal is enjoying the views straight from the window.
Some of the favorites:
Check out the rest of the Photo Album here:
https://community.southwest.com/t5/media/gallerypage/user-id/173487/album-id/24156
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Hello Community Southwest:
SoCalFlyer97 took a roundtrip flight to the California State Capitol city of Sacramento earlier this month--Historic Folsom was the actual final destination.
This was a day trip from San Diego, purchased--you guessed it--during last September's WOW50 sale, which I've bloviated extensively on this board--but I can assure to everybody who is reading this that this is the last trip from this 50% off sale. The final flight day from reservations booked during the WOW50 sale was March 6. Weather was a little touchy for the return trip but the disruption was expected and nothing major.
@CarlyeThornton, this is for you: "What do you love about Southwest Airlines?" I believe only the folks from the LUV airline would put something like this together inside SAN...
...It's the Hospitality Farm of Paper Pineapples greeting everybody at the Southwest Check-In counter. Gotta LUV that creativity in décor.
Getting ready for Saint Patrick's Day too...
Oh me...Oh my...Need I say this again?
If you qualify for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry and don't have it...Think about applying, even if it's just a few trips per year; the effort to go through the application process is well worth it and will pay off. I felt like a super-VIP passing by this queue. Not eligible? SAN's Southwest Terminal 1 currently has a Priority Express Lane for Business Select, Anytime, and A-List. No CLEAR...yet!
Outbound Flight:
Plane: Gull
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Okay...I don't think this little bird parked at my gate can haul 175 passengers and their luggage to SMF.
Airport Paging: Aircraft Swap at Gate 15, please.
Okay, this one will do!
Plane: 737-8H4, N8613K Full Flight, On Time Preboards: 3
Shortly after the 10'k mark, the captain got on the microphone and announced this beautiful cloud formation near Newport Beach.
Passing by the Camanche Reservoir and CA Highway 88 during final descent. Highway 88 passes through the Sierras and feeds into Highway 395 just south of Carson City.
Welcome to SMF!
Better than rideshare! SoCalFlyer97 is the sole passenger aboard this downtown transit bus. Day Pass $7 and works on both Sacramento Transit and Yolo Bus.
And the fields are blooming...
Took an hourlong train ride from Downtown to Historic Folsom and enjoyed the day there.
Right around that time, I get a text alert that my return flight home is running a little behind. Our friends at FlightRadar24 showed me why:
The assigned plane was at LAS and there were very high crosswinds from the south that essentially shut down both of the east/west runways during the early afternoon. Only the north/south runways were in use and that created a bit of a traffic jam on the taxiway according to the flight tracking map.
Nevertheless, as tempting as it was to spend that extra hour at Historic Folsom, best that I get back to SMF. Two tips:
If your flight is running behind, both FlightRadar24 and FlightAware can track exactly where the plane is.
As I mentioned before, always return to the airport based on the original scheduled flight time, not the delayed time. Although I was able to track the plane down real-time, SMF was the starting point for my return flight number; that meant the possibility of an aircraft or crew swap that would shorten the delay.
By the time I got to SMF, it turned out that the original plane would still be used. Thus, it was safe to tour Terminal B.
One of my favorite amenities of SMF are the landside glass elevators. If you've got time to spare, be sure to check them out:
The famous Red Rabbit above the landside escalators.
Leap by Lawrence Argent
Slabs of wood make up this art-piece on the departures level near the check-in counters.
The Baggage Handlers by Christian Moeller
A nice quiet spot to hangout. Located on the top-level to/from the gates landside next to the glass elevators.
SoCalFlyer97 is in the deck once again aboard the automated people mover.
Tip for those who want the cab view: If you're not in a hurry and waiting in line for the people mover at an airport near you, simply wait on the platform for the next train and be the first to board through the front doors. Chances are, the front seat area will be yours. Of course, if anybody needing ADA assistance come aboard, yield the seats to them and if there's staff ushering people, listen to them...but with some patience, you may get some nice views
I think it's obvious by now that this traveler likes window seats...even on the APM...
Went through TSA, both the general and PreCheck Lane were wide open. Let's chow beneath the central Airside Oak Tree:
Acorn Steam by Donald Lipski
Under $10 airport food anyone?
Stromboli's for sale from the pizza stand!
Sitting beside the big horn in the airside food court.
Your Words are Music to My Ears by Po Shu W./ Louise Bertelsen (Living Lenses)
And after braving wind-driven traffic jams out of LAS...
...the bird pulls up to the gate!
Return Flight: Plane: 737-MAX8, N881OL 50% Full, Delayed 64 mins Preboards: 3
The tardiness of the return flight paid off in the end with some nice city light views to wrap up this trip! Plus with a 50% full flight aboard the 50%-off WOW50 flight, the middle seat was empty.
Over the Palmdale/Lancaster area with the Victorville area in the background.
High above the coast in between Laguna Beach and Dana Point. In the background across the mountains, Lake Elsinore and Temecula.
The skyline greeting into SAN!
Prior Trip Reports: https://community.southwest.com/t5/Inflight-Experience/Feb-24-Flight-Southwest-Hotels-Trip-Report-Hotel-Apache-Westgate/m-p/169582#M7816
https://community.southwest.com/t5/Inflight-Experience/Feb-24-Southwest-Flight-Photo-Trip-Report-San-Jose-Mineta-TSA/m-p/169354
More Info on the SAN-SMF Flight Route: https://www.southwest.com/routes/flights-from-san-diego-to-sacramento
Safe Travels,
SoCalFlyer97
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2 weeks ago
@dfwskier wrote:
it could be much much worse
or maybe much much funnier
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpSudo5orRQ
Got some nice laughs! Thanks for sharing!
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2 weeks ago
2 weeks ago
Gotta LUV the No Change Fee policy!
That allows me to re-price my booked flights during a sale or a fare drop and pocket the difference in fare in the form of a Flight Credit...Or if needed, I can freely cancel or postpone trips if plans change (even up to 10 minutes prior), with only being subject to any difference in fare for such changes.
One example: SoCalFlyer97 will be in the Lone Star State later in the summer; Southwest would be taking me back home and I booked the flight in February. I did a price check of the return flight this week and the fare dropped by $29 from my original booking; $29 travel credit thus goes back to SoCalFlyer97 with zero fees!
Thumbs up to No Change Fees!
On of my other favorites...Flexibility with multiple departures daily too. See my other reply: https://community.southwest.com/t5/Inflight-Experience/What-do-you-love-about-Southwest-Airlines/m-p/169857#M7844
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2 weeks ago
2 weeks ago
Wow...Where do I begin?
First, I echo what everybody else mentioned. Agree 100%. SW's unique business model makes it stand out from the competition.
One of my personal hobbies involves me taking day trips to various places and letting somebody take me there: Go in early in the morning, relax for the ride up, spend the day there, and come back in the late afternoon or evening. In the picture above, I'm boarding a local regional train bound to downtown Los Angeles. For the longest time, I've always loved taking train and bus rides aboard SoCal's local regional rail system, the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner, and numerous regional and inter-city bus routes. SoCalFlyer97 not only likes to go to places; he tries to make most of the journey to/from too!
Yes, driving is would have been much quicker than taking buses and trains but I would then miss out in the opportunities gifted to me during the journey to/from while I battled hectic and congested freeways.
Back in 2021, my job required me to make periodic business trips to my company's production plant in Tijuana Mexico; thus I got Global Entry so I can cross back into the USA quickly via the SENTRI pedestrian lane. With short waits at the border coming home, that meant I could do day trips down south and not have to spend the night in Mexico during my daylong business trips there.
Global Entry also includes TSA PreCheck, and I wanted to see if I could take advantage of any new day-trip opportunities with this benefit via the airline industry.
The following year, when I found out that Southwest offered multiple hour-long departures daily from SoCal to destinations in Northern California, Vegas and Phoenix from early morning 'til late night, I learned there was a possibility to complete day trips to these destinations both for work and pleasure via the LUV airline for affordable rates that I could not find anywhere else:
Combine that with having Global Entry to get through TSA quickly and with plentiful public transit options to feed me from a suburban park & ride lot into my primary airport at SAN (or decent 24-hour parking rates at my convenience airport at ONT), I saw new opportunities thanks to Southwest for both work and play.
I would have to say that my short-haul day trips that I post throughout this forum would not be possible on any other carrier.
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2 weeks ago
2 weeks ago
@omgthisisdumb wrote:
hey so I have a question for anybody on here I used to fly Southwest a lot I used to be able to grab the $59 sales up to $79 sales as a registered Southwest rewards member but the last two years I've wanted to fly I've not been able to grab those deals I live over on the west coast near Seattle and I'm meeting to get back to mountain standard Time like Denver and I can't ever get flights with those national sales from Seattle to Denver what am I doing wrong every time something goes on sale my phone dings and I try to catch that sale and it's like there hasn't been any sales or anything available from Seattle to Denver in that range lately and when I do try to reroute my flight to go somewhere else just to catch that sale deal from say like from Vegas to Denver if that were the case I can't even catch that sale deal could somebody please let me know what it is I am doing wrong I used to be able to do this all the time and I don't know if Southwest has taken that availability away or if I'm being blocked or what but it's very frustrating and I'm about ready just to say screw Southwest airlines and not fly at all anymore but I thoroughly enjoy flying with them so I really need help
Hola!
I've had my share of flights/airport locations/days not matching up with SW sales too. But I don't let those disappointments alienate me from still using the LUV Airline.
From SoCal, I usually fly SW out of SAN because I have a better shot of locking in a sale price there. However, my "convenience" preferred airport is ONT because of ease of access, but airfares are typically much higher and many SW sales don't return a good deal but sometimes, I'll get lucky and find a deal from ONT. Thus, I normally go to SAN but on occasion, use ONT.
Some sales, I can find a deal; others are a clear miss. The last few local sales in my area applied to only Tuesday or Wednesday travel whereas prior ones also covered some weekends if booked far enough in advance. I was even not able to lock in anything from last January's WOW40 40%-off sale whereas I was able to locate many deals and book several of my 2024 winter flights during last September's WOW50 50% off sale...or during a prior "As Low as $29" Sale where my convenience airport at ONT unexpectedly posted $39 sale prices for Friday travel. Sometimes we just have to wait for the right sale. Fortunately, since SW doesn't charge change fees, I would still book the flight in question at the standard price to lock in the fare in case prices rise later, but check and re-price it in case fare come down later or through a different sale; you'll be able to then collect the difference in fare in the form of a flight credit (or refund too if you bought Anytime or Business Select).
Hope this helps!
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@Sdemp wrote:
HI All
I'm a UK based traveller who booked my connecting flight in the US through Southwest. I had never booked through Southwest before and booked with my work email (work flight). Unknown to me, my work email spam filter placed all Southwest airline emails about my reservation and account set up into spam and then deleted them. I only found this out because I tried to get into the site to look at my flight details and I cannot find a way in or get any record of my booking. It has clearly been paid for on my credit card. I am now in a never ending loop where I can't access the booking without an account and I can't set up an account because the first set up emails were deleted. Can anyone help? Much appreciated!
Hola!
It looks like your employer has a filter set that blocks Southwest emails. As this forum is customer-to-customer, we unfortunately cannot access your reservation from here.
If you printed or saved the confirmation screen after booking, it should have your confirmation number. With it you should be able to access your flight details here by verifying your first and last name:
https://www.southwest.com/air/change/
If not, I would for sure contact SW Customer Service for help:
For SW's phone number, go here: https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/article/booking-travel-online
Click on "Need More Assistance" and call the main phone number displayed or request a call back.
Customer Service should be able look up your booking and confirmation number via an alternative method, likely by verifying your name and the credit card number used. Not sure if they can change your email address to your personal one for the reservation but worth asking. Once you get your confirmation number, I would for sure sign up for a Rapid Rewards account if you don't have one and use the email address that you own personally. You should then be able to link this flight to your account.
https://www.southwest.com/air/manage-reservation/?page=ADD-RAPID-REWARDS-NUMBER
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2 weeks ago
@dlockesf wrote:
I'll be arriving from Mexico at LAX and transferring to a domestic flight.
I presume immigration and customs is at the Bradley terminal and the domestic flight leaves from T1.
Do I recheck my luggage at the Bradley terminal or do I have to take it to T1 myself?
Hello-
Yes...Re: Passport Control and Customs at LAX, the CBP Border Inspection Station is located in the Tom Bradley International Terminal (Terminal B). Once you deplane, follow the signage through the International Arrival corridors into the Inspection Station which will be on the ground floor of Terminal B. Chances are you'll be greeted by a bunch of escalators and elevators along the way and through CBP.
Once you clear CBP, there appears to be a spot where you can re-check baggage there according the LAX map:
https://www.flylax.com/terminals/terminal-b
Otherwise, LAX has landside inter-terminal shuttles that can feed you from Terminal B to Terminal 1 and you can check your bags at the SW Check-In counter. https://www.flylax.com/inter-terminal-connections
Hope this helps!
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