Southwest - Long Delay

johnnyr · Jul 29, 2016

My Southwest flight has been delayed for 3 1/2 hours. The plane is here but they have no pilot. They Said pilot is on the way. Do I have options for compensation?

svecchitto · Jul 29, 2016

When we had a southwest plane issue (it involved an emergency landing followed by a huge wait for new plane and crew) we watched several people ask for compensation and they got it, but at the end of the day they were planning on giving it to everyone. They called us up one by one. My feeling it is it can't hurt to ask, worst thing they can say is no. And for comparison they gave us $200 per person. Which was more than I spent on that individual flight but to me it did not make up for dealing with all that aggravation.

disney world dreamer · Jul 29, 2016

in 2012 our flight home was delayed from 9pm to 1:30am due to the plane that was shedule to take us home having been delayed elswhere.

everyone received drinks and snacks while waiting at the gate and everyone also received $200 vouchers to be used within the next 12 months.

it sucked because my sister had gotten sick the night before and was feeling terrible but in the end we were happy to have the voucher that we put towards a flight to DLR

wilkeliza · Jul 29, 2016

It depends on the why of the delay. Yes they said no piolet but if the real reason was a previous weather delay that made the piolts flight time expire then they may claim it was weather related and therefor not their fault. I'm unsure of the South West passenger bill of rights and every airline is different so I'd start there and see what it says.

kristenrice · Jul 29, 2016

In 2015, my mother and I were flying from MCO-BWI-GRR and our MCO-BWI was showing about a 90 minute delay. I knew we had a short (<60 minute) connection time at BWI so I asked the gate agent in Orlando what will happen when we land in BWI. We were scheduled to take the last flight of the night in to GRR. The agent told me that if we boarded the plane in Orlando, we would NOT get in to GRR until tomorrow because they would not hold the connection in BWI and there were no other flights. I asked if we could get on the MCO-FNT flight which was scheduled to depart at the same time as our now-delayed flight. He was able to get us on that flight, but I asked him if there was any compensation he could offer us since we are now flying into an airport that is 90 minutes away from our original destination and we'd need to book a rental car to get home. He explained to me that he is not authorized to provide or offer any compensation unless the flight is delayed 2 hours or more. That was not (yet) the case for our MCO-BWI flight so there was nothing more he could do. He did switch us to the flight at no additional charge (although I think the fare difference was only about $30) and he upgraded our boarding positions from the C's that we were given because we had A's on our original (delayed) flight after purchasing EBCI.

I ended up writing a letter to SWA because for some reason, the points I'd earned for that return flight never credited to my account. In the letter, I detailed all of the events that transpired, but I did not place blame or request any additional compensation. They quickly credited my SWA rewards account with the earned points AND they sent me a $150 LUV voucher. They truly have some of the best customer service I have ever experienced.

sam_gordon · Jul 29, 2016

While they may offer compensation, I'm pretty sure they're not required to. The contract of carriage (your ticket) basically says they'll get you from point A to point B, but nothing about a specific time.

That being said, I don't think it would hurt to ask, but think about what you're asking for. Maybe you want some kind of credit to pay for a meal at the airport while you wait. However, if you do decide to leave the gate area, make sure that plane isn't leaving for 3 1/2 hours. It's possible they come up with another solution, and the planned 3 1/2 hour wait turns into 1 hour.

Wanna be Ariel · Jul 29, 2016

I would ask. Worst they can say is No. Keep us updated on what happens. Hope you leave soon and enjoy your vacation.

DebbieB · Jul 29, 2016

3 or 4 years ago we got $100 per person voucher for a flight delayed about 3 hours. We didn't even have to ask, they made an announcement to come up to the desk and get it.

disney world dreamer · Jul 29, 2016

DebbieB said:
3 or 4 years ago we got $100 per person voucher for a flight delayed about 3 hours. We didn't even have to ask, they made an announcement to come up to the desk and get it.

yep we didn't have to ask either.
they just asked that everyone didn't rush up at the same time since there was still plenty of time before the plane arrived.
i think they tend to give more when its a late flight to begin with and is then delayed by hours.

DVC-Don · Jul 29, 2016

A few years ago while flying out of Orlando my Southwest flight got delayed quite a bit. They changed the gate and departure time several times, but I'm a go with the flow guy and it didn't bother me as I was getting texts with the changes. Never did find out what was going on, but a week after the flight (which did get off) I got an email saying sorry and here's a $150 voucher.

Kaytie · Jul 29, 2016

Legally, they're not required to do anything for you if you're not on the plane already https://www.transportation.gov/brie...rtation-expands-airline-passenger-protections but as everyone else says, ask.

Huff · Jul 30, 2016

Yesterday there was a very bad monsoon over the airport in Phoenix. Southwest cancelled 27 flights departing and I assume many more that connected thru Phoenix from elsewhere. So SW flights nation wide were delayed. I was at Phoenix airport this morning and SW check in lines were weaved all over the terminal and out the door onto the sidewalk.

kandb · Jul 31, 2016

I think if it's weather related they give you nothing. My mom and niece were delayed 8 hours flying from FLL to Newark in April when they had an unexpected ice storm. They weren't given anything, it was JetBlue.

cmarsh31 · Jul 31, 2016

6 hour delay last summer which lead to a grand total of landing at our final destination 12 hours late (because once the first flight was delayed, by the time we landed at BWI, our destination airport was already closed). $200 compensation per person, plus hotel room in the middle. It was ok, I guess. Flight cost us more than $200 each, plus we were stranded at the airport for 6 hours - had to buy lunch and dinner and breakfast the next morning in the airports. I did ask for food vouchers but nada. It made for an expensive trip home.

LisaS · Jul 31, 2016

Those who have mentioned "compensation", I assume that means travel vouchers and not cash, correct? We got $100 vouchers once when our flight was delayed 3 hours. The problem is, we usually travel on points and $100 doesn't cover the cost of a flight so in order to use the vouchers, we had to pay cash for the rest of the fare and be subject to the rules for repricing fares which are more strict when using cash vs points. I would have much rather had cash but that was not an option. So for those who said "we got $200 compensation", what sort of compensation did you receive?

cmarsh31 · Jul 31, 2016

Yup, $200 travel vouchers - had to be used within 12 months of original flight but TRANSFERABLE! So they were a total pain to use bc we didn't have any plans to travel. My friend actually paid me less than face value for them and used them for her family - at least they didn't totally go to waste, but they weren't that useful overall.

kandb · Jul 31, 2016

cmarsh31 said:
Yup, $200 travel vouchers - had to be used within 12 months of original flight but TRANSFERABLE! So they were a total pain to use bc we didn't have any plans to travel. My friend actually paid me less than face value for them and used them for her family - at least they didn't totally go to waste, but they weren't that useful overall.

I think that sounds fair with your friend because if she didn't take them off your hands for a discounted price, you would of been give $0 for them. If it was my friend, I would of "asked" her for half the face value, that way, she wins and I win.

cmarsh31 · Jul 31, 2016

kandb said:
I think that sounds fair with your friend because if she didn't take them off your hands for a discounted price, you would of been give $0 for them. If it was my friend, I would of "asked" her for half the face value, that way, she wins and I win.

Yup - that's how it all worked out, but it was a bummer for us, basically. Our flights sucked. We got home a day late and the vouchers amounted to very little. But, that's what you deal with when you fly

I meant that even though we weren't able to use them, unlike regular travel funds, at least we were able to transfer them to someone.

kandb · Jul 31, 2016

Yes, flying can be extremely difficult if there are delays. If there are none, it's great but if they have delays, it can be hours/days and driving is a better option.

cmarsh31 · Jul 31, 2016

kandb said:
Yes, flying can be extremely difficult if there are delays. If there are none, it's great but if they have delays, it can be hours/days and driving is a better option.

Upstate NY to Seattle - wasn't really worth the drive!

Southwest - Long Delay

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