All airlines, Southwest included, are tightening up enforcement of Emotional Support Animal policies, in reaction to onboard incidents and frequent customer complaints regarding pets in the cabin fraudulently represented as ESAs. This includes documentation requirements. What were you told was the problem with your documentation? Could you contact your health care provider and have them send correct documents? Were you not offered the option of paying the $95 Pet Fee to have your animal travel onboard as a pet?
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10-14-2018
02:13 PM
10-14-2018
02:13 PM
Alas, I was not there -- I didn't even know the event was happening. Salvage One is a great venue, as is Architectural Artifacts -- if you get a chance check them out sometime (open for retails sales as well).
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10-13-2018
01:23 AM
10-13-2018
01:23 AM
@CareforNOLA wrote: Speaking of age 21, my daughter has had her RR # since below age 1 ( because of out of town grandparents). She just received her first set of drink coupons—the first quarter that she was the eligible age. As a regular recipient of the quarterly envelope myself, I found it a bit sentimental when hers arrived. Reminded me of all the flights to all the places we traveled on my miles and companion pass with Southwest Airlines. Many miles and 21 years together so far. Thanks, Southwest! Ten flights every quarter?! Yikes! You're definitely a road warrior! 😉 (Also, just for clarity: Drink coupons aren't sent quarterly, they're sent after each set of 10 paid one-way flights.)
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As stated, it's generally best on Southwest to book one-way flights. 😉 If you have booked a round-trip, you can change online either leg without affecting the other leg. The exception is if you're trying to change the return after flying the outbound, which would require a call to customer service. Online, you can only cancel an entire itinerary. In order to cancel only one leg you would need to call.
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10-12-2018
04:38 PM
10-12-2018
04:38 PM
If you canceled, your bag would still go on to it's intended destination. You'd have to work with Southwest to get it back to you, possibly paying a shipping fee.
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Actually, unfortunately neither of those are Southwest rules. Emotional Support Animals must be in a carrier or on a leash at all times. If on a leash, they are allowed to be in the customer's lap. Pets must remain in a carrier, and while Southwest policy officially limits pets to 6 carriers per flight (up to 2 animals per carrier), trained service animals and emotional support animals are not considered pets and do not count toward the maximum number of pets permitted onboard. More info on ESAs here. More info on the Pet Policy here.
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@bec102896 wrote: @fixxer12 As @bgubs14 said a connecting flight only counts as 1 A List qualifying flight unless you book the connection separately. the only issue booking the connection separately is if your first flight should be delayed significantly you may not be covered and may be considered a no show on the other reservation also if you would be checking bags you would have to re check the bags at the connecting city. just something to consider if you thought of "what if I booked each flight separately". Hope this helps Blake Keep in mind that if you miss the connecting flight, but arrive at the airport within 2 hours of scheduled departure, you'll be reaccommodated under the unpublished "flat tire rule." (And truthfully, I suspect that the time limit wouldn't even really apply, as an airport rep would most likely reaccommodate you upon seeing that you had multiple, consecutive Southwest flights booked that day.) Also, it's not guaranteed, but an agent should be able to check your bag all the way through to your final destination.
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@dfwskier wrote: @chgoflyer wrote: Again, Southwest would do well to reduce customer confusion by not advertising "Points don't expire." It's disingenuous on their part toto ha an account become "dormant," and all points "forfeited" just to work around the limitation of not actually having points "expire." Southwest used to be above this kind of thing and, in my opinion, it's sad to see that they no longer are. In all fairness to Southwest, whenever the term Points Don't Expire appear in print, they are followed be an *, and in close proximity this follows "*Points don’t expire as long as you have flight-earning or partner-earning activity at least once every 24 months." True, but that's just laughable, really. Earlier you mentioned point expiration not being a "gotcha." In my opinion, saying one thing ("Points don't expire") and then having to add an asterisk to literally completely reverse that statement is very definitely a "gotcha." Why even advertise that they don't expire if they actually do? It's just wrong.
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@bgubs14 wrote: The easiest thing is to call ! And sometimes they help you find the other ones Unfortunately, that's no longer true. 😞 While you used to be able to call and provide your credit card number to have a rep search for any travel funds associated with your name, you now must provide specific flight info, a confirmation number or a ticket number. From the website: Applying Travel Funds: In the event your travel plans change and you need to apply travel funds to future trips, please make note of your confirmation number. Customers calling Southwest to request a refund or to research travel funds for a specific ticket must provide their confirmation number, ticket number or flight information (date, origin and destination).
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Again, Southwest would do well to reduce customer confusion by not advertising "Points don't expire." It's disingenuous on their part toto ha an account become "dormant," and all points "forfeited" just to work around the limitation of not actually having points "expire." Southwest used to be above this kind of thing and, in my opinion, it's sad to see that they no longer are.
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Yes! Vouchers or Travel Funds don't affect you receiving RR points or flight credit towards A-List. The only flights that wouldn't count are ones booked using points.
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I don't think Southwest is attempting to deceive anyone, but I agree that the link is easy to overlook. I'd suggest you contact Southwest directly so that your concern can be recorded, perhaps they'll consider making it more obvious. Note: If you just recently booked a flight (within the last 24 hours) and did not add your travel funds, you can cancel for a full refund and rebook, using the travel funds this time.
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10-10-2018
03:34 PM
10-10-2018
03:34 PM
@DancingDavidE wrote: @thedon411 wrote: So I've had a KTN for a while now and have added it to my RR account. However, I've never been able to get TSA Pre-Check on any of my flights with Southwest. I have an apostrophe in my last name, and on my Global Entry/Pre-Check card, but Southwest doesn't allow for those characters in you name. Will I never get TSA Pre-Check because of this? One thing to try next time if this isn't resolved by then is to ask at the ticket counter and see if they can reprint with the KTN included. Unfortunately, that won't help -- the issue is that the name must match exactly or TSA PreCheck won't be applied. 😞
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Most importantly (for future bookings), you don't actually need to purchase EarlyBird Check-In at all. 😉 Customers of Size are allowed to preboard. This allows you to select two seats together, request the seatbelt extender from a Flight Attendant, and get settled in. It is probably a good idea to get EBCI for your wife, since the open seat next to the middle one with the "reserved" sign is a great seat to have, so the shorter the time you need to "save" it the better. 😉 I'd recommend sitting in the aisle seat and reserving the middle until she boards (then move to the window if you prefer). You may also board together with your wife at your assigned positions (assuming sequential), but depending on boarding position that may increase difficulty in finding an open row (or you may end up near the back of the plane). Hope this helps!
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When you check in for the first flight on your itinerary, that will check you in for your connecting flight and you will be able to print the boarding passes for your connecting flight as well.
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10-08-2018
07:50 PM
10-08-2018
07:50 PM
@OMB13 wrote: I also have just received the "not compatible" message....bummer. After reading all the comments about this, I checked my OS. It's 5.0. Supposed to work but doesn't. What's up Southwest? ND The app requires Android 6.0 and up.
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I do agree that it's odd Southwest has included New Orleans, but the good news is that right now all predictions are for only minor impact for Tampa.
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Is your animal an Emotional Support Animal or a Therapy Animal? Those are two different things. Southwest allows Emotional Support Animals (with proper documentation) to fly for free, but does not allow Therapy Animals to do so -- those are considered pets, and are subject to the pet fee. I think that the confusion around the various types of animals traveling onboard adds to the problem. For example, there is no need for an emotional support animal to ever wear a vest, especially one with a label such as you mention. Scam websites online sell such items to those wishing to fraudulently claim their pet is a Trained Service Animal, and many people recognize them as such. If your animal is an Emotional Support Animal and you've presented proper documentation, and follow the rules (such as keeping the animal in their container or on a leash at all times) I suspect you'll have no issues at all. More information about traveling on Southwest with Trained Assistance Animals, Emotional Support Animals and Therapy Animals can be found here.
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@spacecoastbill wrote: That changes nothing. Let the compay defend their employee for denying a paying passenger for a seat with zero justification for doing it. You are welcome to take a seat that someone else has saved if you'd like. Southwest has no policy for or against seat saving. And FAs generally do not get involved. But -- again -- if a flight attendant sides with the person saving the seat and you disobey that flight attendant, be prepared to be removed from the flight. (And the converse is also true -- if you are the person refusing to give up the saved seat when directed to do so by cabin crew.) By law a passenger must obey the orders of the flight crew. I'm certain that, if you are removed from the flight, the company will absolutely defend their employee's decision.
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Unfortunately, no -- travel funds can only be used towards another air travel ticket, for the original passenger(s) only, and travel must be completed by the expiration date (usually one year from the original date of purchase). EarlyBird Check-In can only be purchased with a credit card.
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10-06-2018
05:34 PM
10-06-2018
05:34 PM
@spacecoastbill wrote: You should have just sat there. Let the FA explain themselves to the company after the complaint if they try to stop you and you are not unable to perform the functions that come with seating in an exit row. That's not how it works. 😉 If the FA decided to deny you the seat, you are denied the seat. By law a passenger is required to obey the commands of the flight crew. Period.
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The economics of in-flight wifi are complicated. Southwest doesn't actually generate profit from it's wifi fees. Satellite bandwidth is very, very expensive. Those $8 fees basically help offset what Southwest pays their internet service providers (along with partnership agreements, where companies pay money to advertise on the in-flight system). It costs Southwest money to provide the internet connectivity (and in-flight entertainment), but they see it as a service they need to offer in order to be competitive. Because it's a cost center and not a profit one, upgrades are slow to roll out, and quality of service is fairly abysmal when compared to what other carriers offer. Row44/Global Eagle would love for Southwest to upgrade to their latest and greatest technology, but that costs money. Most other carriers do make money off their wifi. Services like Gogo provide the connectivity, charge hefty fees for access and/or membership, and then cut some of that profit back to the carriers -- even at a risk to their profitability. Because they are the provider, it's in their best interests to offer good connection and upgrade frequently. So the connection is more reliable. JetBlue writes their internet provider a big check so that they can offer free wifi as a differentiator. It's a marketing cost. When/if Delta actually offers free wifi, it will be because they believe trading the income they receive now for a new cost is worth it from a marketing standpoint. As a business-focused carrier, wifi is important, and free wifi is a huge benefit. Another factor (for all carriers) is the costs in initially installing the systems into each plane. Sometimes the carrier pays for this fully (often amortized over time), sometimes it's partially paid for by the provider, sometimes it's a rental agreement. One possibility I've read with Delta is that they may have reached the point where the installation costs have now been fully paid off, which changes the economics and allows them to shift what were those costs over to cover the service they now offer their passengers for free, with no overall change to the bottom line. As I said, it's complicated. 😉
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You bought the tickets back in July, but just noticed that you were overcharged now? If you had noticed this when you received your confirmation email (sent immediately after purchase) it could have been addressed then. Unfortunately, by now the fare has likely changed and is no longer available. Are you sure those prices you belive you should have been charged are correct? Senior Fares are actually more expensive than the lowest Wanna Get Away fare. Senior Fares are refundable, and are a discount off the Anytime fare. Was your fare Anytime? What are the fares for your flight(s) if you check online now?
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10-05-2018
04:27 PM
10-05-2018
04:27 PM
Travel funds expire one year from the date of the original purchase. All travel must be completed by then. Expiration dates are shown on all confirmation emails when you make, change or cancel an itinerary. The current, unpublished policy for expired travel funds is this: Once expired, a passenger can request reissue as a voucher, for a fee of $100 (deducted from the balance). You have 6 months after expiration in which to do this, and the voucher, good for use by anyone (not just the named passenger) is valid for 6 months from the date of issue. Have you contacted Customer Relations at 1-855-234-4654?
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10-05-2018
04:21 PM
10-05-2018
04:21 PM
Unfortunately, Southwest has no policy against seat saving.
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10-04-2018
02:43 PM
10-04-2018
02:43 PM
@DancingDavidE wrote: @dfwskier wrote: Southwest allows seat saving because, unlike firms that allow reserved seats, Southwest does not assign seats and it is one way of giving family members a chance to sit next to one another. My advice to you would be to join the crowd one buys EBCI and saves a seat for the other. There also isn't a mechanism for them to police the entire aircraft, and there would be too much judgement involved in deciding when saving one middle seat was okay compared to someone saving a "premium" seat - which I think is discouraged or at leat not encouraged - so from a practical sense all except the most egregious seat saving instances would be difficult to stop. The trade-off being that they want happy A-listers and people to keep paying EBCI, so I think it might be mentioned mainly when someone is saving exit row for instance and then someone else comes and asks for it. But if no one asks and involves the FA they wouldn't even be able to decide that someone was saving a spot that another passenger wanted. I disagree. On boarding, FAs are stationed at the front of the plane (near the bulkhead rows) and near the exit rows. The FA near the exit rows is already tasked with policing those seats with regards to age and ability qualification. An FA could intervene when there is a seat-saving conflict relatively easily -- if there was a policy to enforce. The problem now is that there is no policy. My suggestion: Enact a simple policy, that allows a passenger to save a single, adjacent seat only, and no saving of seats in the bulkhead or exit rows. This would protect the intent of the current "non-policy" by allowing passengers to save a seat for a traveling companion, but stop the egregious cases of multiple seat saving and preserve "premium" seats for those who get there first. Simply adding an announcement of the policy to the boarding announcements would help. In practice, I suspect FAs would have less enforcement issues over time than they have now, and especially if nothing is done since reports of seat saving altercations are increasing.
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No, seriously. Southwest blocks website access from outside the US. If you do a Google search for "Southwest website access outside US" you will find hundreds of articles describing the situation, going back to at least 2016.
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Unfortunately, Southwest (bizarrely) blocks access for many from outside the US. You can try connecting using a proxy server or VPN (Google for more info), and some people have previously reported being able to access via the phone app (using your mobile carrier's network, not internet) but that seems to be iffy now as well. A last option would be to call -- +1-800-435-9792 -- but international long distance costs may be prohibitive. Good luck!
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When traveling with an emotional support animal, you need to declare the animal at check-in so that you can provide the proper documentation. This isn't a new policy, it is always been this way. In the future, you could avoid unfortunate situations such as this by doing so. if the animal you are traveling with is not an emotional support animal, you need to declare the animal as a pet at check in, and pay the pet fee.
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10-01-2018
05:23 PM
10-01-2018
05:23 PM
Back when the gay couple was denied Family Boarding, they had the children's grandparents with them, and there was much discussion afterwards regarding the denial being because of the grandparents, and not because they were a non-traditional family. In general, Family Boarding is for the children and their parents(s) or guardian(s), only, not the extended family.
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