Skip to main content

Southwest Airlines Community

Missing Final Flight of the Day

BigBert10
Explorer C

Hello Southwest Community,

 

My Mom might be missing her flight today from CVG to MDW since she is late. What happens when someone misses their flight and that flight is the last flight of the day?

 

I heard of the policy where you can be rebooked on the next flight but what if that flight is the last flight of the day?

 

Can you be rebooked on a flight happening the next day? Does your reservation become null and void and you have to rebook again on the website?

2 REPLIES 2

Re: Missing Final Flight of the Day

DancingDavidE
Aviator A

I'm sorry I didn't catch this yesterday, so the course may already be set...

 

Southwest (and the other guys too) will try to accomodate someone in what is informally known as the "flat tire rule" - however this depends on your mom arriving at the airport within an hour or two hours of the scheduled departure, or if she won't be arriving at the airport then she must contact Southwest right away.

 

If she no-shows a WGA fare then the funds are forfeited. No-showing a refundable fare will get you travel funds, or strangely enough a points booking will be returned to your account.

 

She can calso call up to ten minutes before the scheduled departure to cancel or change the flight, and make pro-active re-booking but this would be at the current fare pricing as opposed to the flat tire rule which as far as I know would be an even exchange of tickets on the next open flight. (Even if it is the next morning.)

 

I hope it worked out for her and that she was able to arrive at the airport or at least contact Southwest to avoid a no-show situation.

 

 

Home airport MDW, frequent visitor to MCO to see the mouse.

Re: Missing Final Flight of the Day

dfwskier
Aviator A

@DancingDavidE wrote:

 

 

Southwest (and the other guys too) will try to accomodate someone in what is informally known as the "flat tire rule" - however this depends on your mom arriving at the airport within an hour or two hours of the scheduled departure, or if she won't be arriving at the airport then she must contact Southwest right away.

 

If she no-shows a WGA fare then the funds are forfeited. No-showing a refundable fare will get you travel funds, or strangely enough a points booking will be returned to your account.

 

She can calso call up to ten minutes before the scheduled departure to cancel or change the flight, and make pro-active re-booking but this would be at the current fare pricing as opposed to the flat tire rule which as far as I know would be an even exchange of tickets on the next open flight. (Even if it is the next morning.)

 

I hope it worked out for her and that she was able to arrive at the airport or at least contact Southwest to avoid a no-show situation.

 

 


Sorry that I didn't see this yesterday either as I was already on the road for my flight from Midway.

 

Hope it worked out for your mom.

 

For others who might search the forum in the future:

 

David is right, the best thing is to get to the airport even though you've mised your flight, however ...

 

At the very least, a call to reservations explaining the problem and asking to be allowed to go out the next day would be in order. I know the airport staff can be accomdating, but I'm not sure about the phone people. Cancelling would have eliminated this option and would have  caused you mom to pay the much higher (normally) same day walk up fare.

 

I used the flat tire rule 4 or 5 summers ago in one of the few times that I allowed more than enough time to get to the airport in Denver. (hours more than normally needed). Denver flooded,

 

Although Denver is not home, I know Denver pretty well. I tried multiple alternatives to get around

cars on flooded roads. Nothing worked. Southwest put me on another flight even though i was using a Wanna Get Away fare and no showed. 

 

In my case it was the "flloded city rule" instead of the "flat tire rule.