@weycosteve , I am sorry that this happened to you. There are many reasons for flight schedule disruptions, and as a travel warrior, I feel as if I have experienced almost all of them (on every airline). Weather, computers, attendants accidentally deploying the emergency slide, crew with too many hours of flight time so cannot take off, and even an attack at the arrival airport TSA checkpoint that required us to be held out on the tarmac for hours. I have had more two hour hotel nights than I ever wanted as well. ( I call them “shotel” nights because they are really for the shower and not the sleep. Fortunately I can catch some zzzz’s on a plane when I finally get on one, but only because I had so many chances to try and learn.) I agree that at times, travel (or trying to travel) can be a bad experience. I hope you will give Southwest another chance. I have flown them all, and the potential for delays is there for every airline. I find the Southwest policies regarding open seating, two bags free and no change fees to be the best option for the majority of my flights. Like you, I have had some bad experiences with them, but not as many on Southwest as some of the others, especially for domestic flights. You may have heard a lot of rumors while waiting because I have experienced that waiting crowd crescendo before as well, and I doubt all of what you heard is true. I would suggest a letter to customer service relating your experience as the best option to try for a refund or a voucher. No guarantees, but I have had some results with that approach. I wish you safe travels in the future, and I wish that your experience had been an on-time no-complications flight.
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