12-19-2022
07:36 AM
12-19-2022
07:36 AM
Bumping because I saw this increased fare for the first time the other day and was wondering why it was double the price!
I don't know why I'm second guessing myself, but even if you had a 4+ hour layover, your checked bags will still be checked to its final destination, correct? I have an upcoming flight that has an exact 4 hour layover. What do they do with the bag all that time, just hold it?
--Jessica
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@TheMiddleSeat wrote:
Third option would be to book a hotel through Southwest hotels. You could book a cheap, local hotel, check-in and never actually stay there.
--TheMiddleSeat
Cheaper hotels probably won't give you the offers that are worth thousands of points, many just give you 1 point per dollar, but it all depends on the hotel / location / etc.
--Jessica
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12-16-2022
09:48 AM
12-16-2022
09:48 AM
I've never heard of expired credits showing on Southwest.com. If you want to extend those expired credits, you would need to contact Southwest.
--Jessica
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12-12-2022
02:17 PM
12-12-2022
02:17 PM
Ha! This tweet is what started the whole discussion:
"losing my mind, just offered the aisle seat to the guy sitting between me and my gf on a flight, and he said he’d rather stay in the middle seat between us"
And this is by far the best reply:
"Real energy vampire is the one who booked two seats apart and is now making it someone else’s problem"
I just don't understand how someone booked 2 seats *apart* from each other and then expected someone to move from their assigned seat? This obviously was not a Southwest flight, because it wouldn't happen!
--Jessica
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Upgrading all the way to Business Select from WGA for $52 seems cheap. WGA+ seems a little more believable but $52 seems too expensive to upgrade from WGA to WGA+! I wonder if the "promo" said something like upgrade "starting at $52" and it showed Business Select as the top tier, but $52 was for the WGA+ fare and the others were more expensive.
With that said, for all the years I have flown Southwest, I don't think I've ever gotten an offer to upgrade a month before my flight ... or I just ignore them lol.
--Jessica
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Same here, I use PayPal frequently to pay, never run across an issue or this kind of error message.
When exactly do you get this error message? PayPal typically pops up in a new window to pay, so if you have popups blocked on whatever device or browser you are using, that could be a potential cause, and Southwest may be timing out because of that.
--Jessica
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Southwest aside, I don't typically use 3rd party sites to book hotels, if I'm not using Southwest I normally book direct, and the hotel rates were the same when I compared them.
--Jessica
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12-07-2022
02:15 PM
12-07-2022
02:15 PM
Wondering what happened to your favorite Southwest route? Here's what to know
Link: https://thepointsguy.com/news/southwest-airlines-restore-network/
Among the biggest frustrations for longtime Southwest flyers over the past two years has been seeing the airline cut nonstop routes and flight frequencies, often forcing passengers to make a connection they otherwise could have avoided.
By the end of next year, that coronavirus pandemic-era problem should be gone, Southwest executives say.
The airline plans to have restored 90% of its pre-pandemic network by next summer, with all of it fully restored by the end of 2023.
Southwest Airlines' name is a misnomer. Over the 51 years since it was founded in Dallas, the airline has stretched its route map across the U.S. and parts of Mexico and Central America, with service and focus cities up and down the East Coast; throughout the Midwest, the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Northwest; and even down to Hawaii.
In 2021, that route map stretched to more points than ever, with 18 new markets added to its network, a rare expansion story as the airline industry struggled to climb out of the worst of the pandemic slowdown. However, that expansion left it stretched thin, with more established routes and markets seeing fewer nonstop flights and frequencies.
As TPG reported last November, the airline planned to use 2022 to focus on restoring depth and density to its network.
"For next year and the year after, the No. 1 objective is to restore the network we had pre-pandemic," then-chief commercial officer Andrew Watterson told TPG at the time. "Especially in our business-type routes because those are the ones that have less frequency than they do before."
However, with travel demand proving unpredictably strong and erratic from the second half of last year, Southwest was cautious with details of its plans, declining to share details or a timeline of routes or frequencies that would be restored.
Now, a year in, Southwest says everything is going to plan. As such, the carrier was willing to share the expected timeline for its full restoration.
Of course, with those 18 new cities, "restore" isn't quite the right word, said Watterson, now the airline's chief operating officer, at a media briefing last week.
"We use words like 'restore,' which sounds like we're trying to get back to where we were, yet also, when we finish restoring, it'll be a completely different network than it was pre-COVID."
Notably, Southwest did not drop any cities from its network during the height of the pandemic. Instead, as travel slowed in 2020, and then as Southwest added new cities in 2021, the airline dropped routes, or point-to-point service. In some cases, it might restore a nonstop flight only to cut it later and shift resources to more in-demand routes.
This meant that for many Southwest passengers, instead of being able to book a nonstop flight, they would have to connect in one of Southwest's busier cities — something antithetical to Southwest's marketing model.
"We're a point-to-point carrier," vice president of network planning Adam Decaire said. "77% of our customers do not need to connect when they're flying Southwest Airlines. That's a big strength for us."
As demand has changed during the latter stages of the pandemic, though, restoring the network doesn't necessarily mean bringing it back exactly as it was.
"Full restoration ... is going to be different for each city," Decaire said. It doesn't mean they're going to get each trip back."
For the sake of restoration — or "reconstruction" of the network — some cities might see new nonstop routes rather than what existed pre-pandemic, based on needs.
For instance, "Amarillo had Houston nonstop service prior to the pandemic, but now they've added services to Austin and Denver," Decaire said. "They have their [total number of] trips back, but they're going to different destinations."
"I think some people would say 'no, I want my Houston flight back,' but we've got Denver from Amarillo, you've got additional flying there, and you can get to more of the network," he added. Southwest also operates three to four flights per day from Amarillo, Texas, to Dallas Love Field (DAL), allowing for more regional connectivity.
For those who ask about the specific routes from their home cities that have been cut, it's possible that you won't see those again, even as the airline restores service.
However, your home airport should have at least the same number of flights as it did before, meaning you can stay connected to the broader network — even if you might not get back that convenient route.
Notably, the timing to fully restore the network aligns with Southwest's planned timeline to optimize its certified pilot corps and fleet. The airline has a training backlog for pilots, meaning that even as it hires and recruits new aviators, it cannot fully staff its fleet, CEO Bob Jordan said last week.
"We have about 40 to 45 aircraft that basically can't be flown in a [daily flight schedule] because there are not enough pilots to fly them," Jordan said. "As we staff pilots, that will catch the aircraft growth in the back half of next year, most likely early fourth quarter."
Jordan added that the airline would be able to fly from 6% to 8% more capacity if its pilot growth matched its fleet growth.
During the media briefing, Watterson stressed that while the airline is eager to operate its entire fleet on a given day, the problem isn't even a true shortage of trained and current pilots compared to what the airline needs — it's that as Southwest has taken delivery of new planes from Boeing, the training schedule hasn't quite kept up.
"Boeing is delivering aircraft faster than we are training the pilots," Watterson said.
Airlines can only train a certain number of pilots at a time given available simulators and instructors. However, Southwest has a newly expanded simulator facility that executives said would help the airline end the backlog in 2023, according to its projections.
"It will be that way until the back half of next year, in which case the pilots [growth rates] cross over Boeing [delivery rates], and then we can use all of our aircraft," Watterson said. This would be just in time for the airline to complete its restoration plan.
All in all, it's a busy year ahead for Southwest — and everywhere it stretches.
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12-07-2022
10:06 AM
12-07-2022
10:06 AM
The only caveat I will say is that points *can* take weeks to post (the web site actually says 8 weeks) but in my experience, they post in a week or two.
--Jessica
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12-07-2022
10:05 AM
12-07-2022
10:05 AM
You get what you paid in the form of travel credit. So, if you paid $150 for a flight and cancel it, you get $150 in flight credit which never expires.
--Jessica
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People like to complain about Southwest Hotels, but I use it frequently and this is why:
2 nights at 2 different hotels, 13,000 points! The points posted just days after my stay, too.
--Jessica
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You can’t take alcoholic drinks on a plane, either (to my knowledge). You can take sealed mini bottles under 3.4oz, but that’s it. In most places you cannot walk around with open alcoholic beverages.
— Jessica
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12-04-2022
10:53 AM
12-04-2022
10:53 AM
And this is why I don’t sit in the Exit rows generally - I am not confident performing the steps required. If I had actual practice, I may change my mind.
— Jessica
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I normally fly solo and am A-List, and don't have any problems with the family boarding process. Charging for family boarding is an interesting concept though - you can click "Contact Us" below and make the suggestion to Southwest directly.
--Jessica
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@DoubleK wrote:
The person who responded gave me a different number to call which led me to the SWABIZ team, which is where they notified me that the money that was collected by Southwest from my credit card in 2020 was refunded to a corporate credit card 2 1/2 years later.
This doesn't make any sense at all.
--Jessica
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11-30-2022
12:46 PM
11-30-2022
12:46 PM
I don't understand how travel funds get "refunded" to a credit card in the first place.
When you purchase a refundable fare, and you cancel the flight, do you get a choice at that time to have the money refunded to your credit card or get travel funds? Or do you get travel funds and you have to call/contact Southwest to get a refund? And if you do get travel funds and never use them and they expire, do you then get a refund? Is that what happened here?
--Jessica
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Yes they do! Hotel points typically post a few weeks after check out in my experience.
--Jessica
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The name on the flight and the name on the Rapid Rewards account have to match in order for the Rapid Rewards account to be applied to the flight. If the name is wrong on the flight, you will have to contact Southwest to change it. If the name is wrong on the Rapid Rewards account, update the Rapid Rewards account, then apply the number to the flight.
--Jessica
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11-23-2022
07:51 AM
11-23-2022
07:51 AM
Renting a car is optional, and you should be able to bypass it. Once you select your hotel and flights, the next page is to select a car, but you can just click "Continue" without making a choice. You do have to select whether or not you want travel insurance before you click "Continue."
--Jessica
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@PDFelter wrote:
https://www.southwest.com/html/rapidrewards/companionpasspromo.html
This website also lists the FAQ's for this promotion. It states "after the promotional companion pass has been awarded to your account (January 4, 2023), you can designate your initial companion within My Account on southwest.com... "
Good find! That answers the question: "If I book a reservation prior to January 4, 2023 for travel between January 4 and March 4, 2023, when can I book my Companion’s reservation?"
You can book your flight now and add your Companion on January 4. The only "risk" I suppose is that the flight could sell out; in that case, you could purchase a flight for the companion and cancel it when Jan 4 comes around so there will be guaranteed spot.
--Jessica
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I could be wrong, but this isn't misinformation - you are misunderstanding how Companion Pass works.
Normally as soon as you fly 100 flights or get 125,000 points in a calendar year, you achieve Companion Pass status which is good for the rest of the year as well as the following year. You can use it immediately as soon as you reach the status.
With promotions like these, your Companion Pass starts and ends within a few months. You can't use Companion Pass until you have it - which is January 4 in this case.
With promotions like these, has Southwest ever allowed users to book a Companion Pass flight before the Companion Pass start date? I've never had used a CP promo like this, but I thought the answer was no.
--Jessica
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I don't see how this is possible, and you left out some crucial details of your story:
When was the plane supposed to take off?
You say the luggage was dropped off at 12:30PM and at 1PM they were told to "wait" in a line. Wait where? Is this after they went through security? What happened in those 30 minutes? Or after 1PM? Assuming they were told to wait after they got through security, how could they possibly miss their flight when all they have to do, at most, is be wheeled to their gate.
Did the 6 other waiting passengers also miss their flights?
:edit:
I looked up SWA1341 on Flight Aware. It looks like Friday's flight left at 2:45PM.
So you're saying your parents sat around in a wheelchair for nearly 2 hours and were not taken to their gate in all that time? I find this very hard to believe.
--Jessica
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11-21-2022
07:40 AM
11-21-2022
07:40 AM
Definitely a scam. Look at that address at the bottom. It's a Las Vegas address. Southwest is based in Texas and their official e-mails have their Dallas HQ address in them.
--Jessica
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11-17-2022
01:54 PM
11-17-2022
01:54 PM
First, connect to Southwest's Wi-Fi and launch their portal here:
getconnected.southwestwifi.com
You should see an option in the menu on the left hand side to purchase internet for $8. But there are plenty of free music and entertainment in the portal.
--Jessica
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Paragraph breaks are your friend, but that aside, there's not enough info here to know what actually happened and if you were actually due a refund. Your hotel stay was for 3 nights - but you only stayed for 1 of the 3 nights and expected a refund?
If that's what you were expecting, that's not how it works. This isn't a Southwest Vacations problem.
The Southwest Vacations Terms & Conditions states the following:
All changes and cancellations are subject to availability, limitations, restrictions, and fees imposed by Southwest Vacations and hotel and feature/excursion suppliers. Once travel has begun, there will be no refunds for any unused or partially used non-air travel component for any reason.
https://www.southwestvacations.com/general/package-terms-conditions/
--Jessica
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11-14-2022
08:24 AM
11-14-2022
08:24 AM
@jksobonya wrote:
OK, cool. I assume that 75K in points are not TQP ... you'll just get them in your RR bank.
I also noticed that TQP for A-List/ALP has this quirk on the EOY earning page regarding when points post: "Within 30 days of the statement closing date, after spending $10,000."
https://www.southwest.com/html/rapidrewards/eoy-tier-communication.html
For Companion it doesn't say anything about a 10,000 spend. So does that mean you don't get any AL/ALP TQP points for the first 10K of spend on your card?! That's ... a lot of lost points lol. I know most people are going for Companion anyway, but I'd be happy just staying AL year after year lol, Companion feels like a long way off for me even with the card.
--Jessica
It turns out, I misunderstood this entirely. Any points you earn with a RR CC go towards your Companion Pass balance and your general RR balance - not your A-List balance. The only CC points that count for A-List are 1,500 points per 10K spend. That's it. So the card is really only beneficial for Companion Pass and increasing your RR balance.
--Jessica
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11-10-2022
06:16 PM
11-10-2022
06:16 PM
My understanding is that the offer you applied for when you signed up for the card is what is applicable for your to earn/redeem, not any future offers, BUT it doesn't always hurt to ask, especially if you spend the 3K in 3 months!
Thanks,
--Jessica
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11-07-2022
10:25 AM
11-07-2022
10:25 AM
@dfwskier wrote:
Jessica, if you are short, you could just buy enough gift cards that get you to the spend requirement.
Smart!! 😄
--Jessica
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11-05-2022
10:30 AM
11-05-2022
10:30 AM
Assuming Dec is your only flight or return flight, yes it posts immediately. If Dec 27 was your outgoing flight and Jan 1 or later was your return flight, however, the points would not post until the return flight completes, assuming they are on the same reservation.
--Jessica
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