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Despite the wording below (taken directly from their document,) was told by customer relations just now that it is "extremely rare" that SWA would provide lodging when their cancallations lead to an unexpected overnight... I find that "extremely" disappointing after a long day of cancelled flights, diverted planes and forced overnight in Ft Lauderdale to get to my final BNA destination. No compensation for my hotel room. They should reword this to accurately reflect the policy...
"Reaching Your Destination It is our goal to get you to your destination safely and ontime. However, if circumstances within our control, such as aircraft "swaps," cause you to miss the last possible flight (or connection) of the day to your destination, our Customer Service personnel have the authority to arrange for overnight lodging. We will find a hotel or motel as near to the airport as possible, and at no additional cost to you. We may also arrange for ground transportation to the overnight facility."
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@advlce wrote:after a long day of cancelled flights, diverted planes and forced overnight in Ft Lauderdale to get to my final BNA destination.
Ugh, sounds like you had a very rough trip, but also sounds like the problems you encountered were a result of the bad weather that messed up most of east coast. Unfortunately, the lodging policy you provided doesn't apply to issues caused by weather...
circumstances within our control, such as aircraft "swaps," cause you to miss the last possible flight (or connection) of the day to your destination
If the problem had been mechanical and that caused you to not get home, then the lodging policy would apply. As customer relations said, this is pretty rare because Southwest can usually move people onto different flights or fix planes, but when bad weather happens all bets are off.
--TheMiddleSeat
Re: "customer service commmitment" misleading
Re: "customer service commmitment" misleading
07-31-2018 01:30 PM - edited 07-31-2018 01:33 PM
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Sorry to hear that you are running in to dificulty. What you are experiencing is maddening.
Southwest's policy on the topic is virtually identical to other airlines' polcies, not that that fact makes you feel any better.
If the cancellation is due to an act of god (weather, earthquake, etc), then the airline does not pay for a hotel room. Southwest may provide a voucher that allows one to get a discounted rate for a hotel room.
You normally have to ask for a voucher to get one.
If the cancellation is due to things that are within the company's control (the plane breaks down for example), then Southwest does normally provide hotel rooms for inconvenienced passengers.
Re: "customer service commmitment" misleading
Re: "customer service commmitment" misleading
07-31-2018 01:31 PM - edited 07-31-2018 02:08 PM
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The key words in Southwest's policy are "within our control."
If cancellations are caused by weather, blackouts, or other circumstances not within their control, no airline will provide overnight accommodations.
What caused your flights to cancel and divert?
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@advlce I agree that the situation you were going through was frustrating, and I’ve experienced it as well. However, you are leaving out the details on what lead to the cancellations. Weather or mechanical? I don’t think the commitment is misleading because it actually makes sense if you look it from a business perspective. If the airline had to put out the cost of hotel rooms for all of their stranded passengers because of any unforeseen circumstance, they might as well park all of their jets and open hotel chains.
My advice to you is to alwaybe courteous and not demanding when frustrated at the gate. In my experience, being concerned, but understanding about my situation actually goes pretty far.
SWA Passenger, Community Champion