MAX 8 Reschedule- Very Disappointed

[Williday]

I try to plan ahead as much as I can because I have a small family that doesn't have a WHOLE lot of money, but we do what we can. This gives us plenty of time to save and make arrangements  for our dog and kiddo.

I booked a trip to Portland quite some time ago. Just got an email Friday about the MAX 8s getting pulled and was pretty floored to see my flight had changed. We went from a 3 hour, non stop flight (a steal!), to an 8 hour flight with changes that got in very late. Holy cow. I tried to call and like many others I had a long wait time. So long I called once every day until I ran out of time. I would have just changed it via app or website but it only gave me an option to cancel.

So I finally spoke with someone today and I'm just... disappointed. I was really only given one viable option for a flight. And my early booking counts for nothing? Wow. So now I'm at the bottom of the queue even though I booked months ago. How was I supposed to know these planes would get removed from the fleet?

And what's this whole I can rebook at no additional cost? Do I get reimbursed for the cheaper flight? Who knows.

I know things happen but just kind of disappointed with the customer service regarding this incident. I'm usually the biggest southwest fanboy but this really messed with all our plans leading up to the travel date and arrangements we made once we got there. 

Feel free to share your experience below.

[ZevSupport]

Hi there, Super sorry to hear of your troubles with the Max8. As this is outside of Southwest's immediate control, it's a tricky spot for all. Considering your flight was cancelled, you should be able to call and request a fare difference, if one does exist. Have you spoken to customer service about this? Hope this all works out!

[dfwskier]

The MAX cancellation issue is causing problems for lots of people. Sorry that it is impacting you, too.

The airline has limited options(ie not an unlimited flight schedule) , so the airline puts impacted passengers on the next available flight.

You do not have to accept that flight. Look at the flight schedule. If you see something that is better for you (better timing AND seats available), contact the airline and tell it that you want a switch.

I'd suggest using e-mail so you won't have another long phone wait. To do so click on "contact us" at the bottom of this page, and then select e-mail from the options at the top left of the ensuing page.

Note: you get one "free" change from the routing Southwest gave you. If you ask for a second, you'd have to pay for any fare changes.

If Southwest provides no acceptable flight options, you do have the option of asking for a refund, and flying a different airline.